Chandigarh: Farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (Bharat) and allied organisations continued their protests for the second consecutive day on Thursday, staging demonstrations outside district magistrate offices across Punjab. The agitation centres on demands for the rollback of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2025 and compensation for losses suffered during the Shambhu–Khanauri protest, among other issues.
In Amritsar, a large number of farmers gathered outside the district magistrate’s office, raising slogans against the government. Protesters warned that if the government failed to respond seriously to their demands, a statewide “rail roko” agitation would be launched from Friday, disrupting rail services across Punjab.
The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha said the government’s response on the second day of the protest would be crucial. Farmer leaders are scheduled to hold an important meeting with officials at a government building in Chandigarh later in the day, which is being closely watched by the farming community.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the outcome of the meeting would indicate whether the Punjab government is serious about addressing farmers’ concerns. He cautioned that if the demands remain unmet, farmers will block railway tracks across the state on the 20th. He added that in such a situation, both the Centre and the Punjab government would be fully responsible for the consequences.