Police in India’s northern state of Punjab apprehended hundreds of farmers who have been protesting for over a year to demand better crop prices. Authorities also utilized bulldozers to dismantle their temporary camps. Key protest leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal were among the detained individuals, with Dallewal, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike for months, taken away in an ambulance. According to Nanak Singh, a senior police officer, the operation was conducted without the need for force, as the farmers cooperated and boarded buses voluntarily.

The detentions took place amid ongoing negotiations between the farmers and the government, with the farmers seeking a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. The ongoing protest has led to the blocking of highways as the farmers’ march to New Delhi, the capital, was stopped by authorities. The seventh round of talks between farmer leaders and a central delegation concluded recently, and the next meeting is scheduled for May 4, 2025. Rakesh Tikait, a spokesperson for the Bhartiya Kisan Union, criticized the government actions as contradictory, stating they are both negotiating with the farmers and arresting them.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/india-detains-protesting-farmers-camps-bulldozed/a-71980937?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf