The bandh, scheduled from 7 am to 4 pm, saw farmers staging sit-ins at various locations, including the Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza, which affected vehicular movement on the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway. In Amritsar, farmers gathered at the Golden Gate, while in Bathinda’s Rampura Phul, roads were blocked.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher assured that essential services would remain operational during the bandh. “Emergency services, airport commutes, job interviews, and weddings are exempt from the bandh,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the hunger strike of 70-year-old farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal entered its 35th day, with Dallewal refusing medical intervention. The farmers, demanding a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) for crops, have been protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border.

The Supreme Court has given the Punjab government until December 31 to persuade Dallewal to seek medical care, allowing the state to request logistical support from the Centre if needed.

Farmers under the SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha banners have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13, after their march to Delhi was halted by security forces. A group of 101 farmers attempted to march to Delhi on foot thrice between December 6 and 14 but were stopped by Haryana security personnel.

In addition to MSP, farmers are demanding debt waivers, pensions, no increase in electricity tariffs, withdrawal of police cases, and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.