PHAGWARA: A statewide Rail Roko call by farmer organizations on Friday, triggered disruptions in several parts of the region as activists attempted to block rail lines at several locations, prompting heavy police deployment and a series of preventive detentions. The protest, organised between 1 pm and 3 pm by Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and allied groups, sought to press demands including repeal of the Electricity Amendment Bill-2025, legal guarantee on MSP, and withdrawal of prepaid smart meters.
Hundreds of farmers belonging to Kisan Mazdoor Sangarash Committee led by Sarwan Singh Baupur gathered on tracks near Village Dadwindi in Kapurthala district, leading to delays for trains passing through the sector before police intervened to restore movement. Several activists belonging to Kisan Mazdoor Morcha managed to sit on the tracks at Malsian even as police successfully prevented blockades at Jalandhar Cantt station, keeping major routes operational. The Malsian obstruction caused brief disruption for several important passenger and freight services until additional police forces arrived and removed the protesters.
The police detained several farmer leaders to prevent escalation. BKU (Doaba) president Manjit Singh Rai was taken into custody along with about ten supporters after they attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Jalandhar Cantt station area, with police stating they had insisted on occupying the tracks despite warnings.
In Phagwara, Bhartiya Kisan Union( Doaba) Circle In-charge Kulwinder Singh Athouli, and General Secretary Satnam Singh Sahni were placed under house arrest earlier in the day as a precautionary measure. However the law-and-order situation remained largely peaceful despite tense standoffs, and the Rail Roko call concluded at 3 pm with rail traffic gradually returning to normal. Farmer unions, however, signaled continued mobilization, announcing protests against prepaid smart meters on December 10, sit-ins outside all Deputy Commissioner offices on December 17–18, and a full-scale Rail Roko on December 19 if their demands remain unmet, indicating a potentially intensified confrontation in the days ahead.