March 4, 2025: Tensions are escalating in Punjab as several farmer leaders were detained in midnight raids ahead of the ‘Chandigarh Chalo’ protest, scheduled for March 5. The arrests came shortly after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann walked out of a meeting with the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 37 farmer unions, signaling a hardening stance by the state government against the agitation.

Mann later confirmed that he left the meeting when SKM leaders insisted on continuing their protests. Expressing his frustration over repeated demonstrations, he stated that Punjab could not become a state of perpetual protests and disruptions. He emphasized that protests like ‘rail roko’ and ‘sadak roko’ were causing severe economic losses and that his government would not allow roads and railway tracks to be blocked. He warned the farmer unions not to mistake his patience for inaction, asserting that detentions would follow if protests continued.

Following his exit, Punjab Police launched late-night raids on the residences of farmer leaders, detaining several key figures. In a viral video, Gurmeet Singh Mehma, state general secretary of the Krantikari Kisan Union, claimed that he was picked up from his Ferozepur home and taken into preventive custody. BKU (Rajewal) vice president Mukesh Chander Sharma also reported that his house was raided at 4 AM, as per PTI reports. In response, many farmer leaders have gone underground to evade arrest, while others have condemned the police action, accusing the government of trying to suppress their movement.

Defending the police crackdown, AAP spokesperson Malwinder Kang said that Mann had given the farmers a fair opportunity to present their grievances before leaving for a pre-scheduled doctor’s appointment. However, farmer unions remain resolute in their demand for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations and fulfillment of other promises made to them by the government. The ongoing tensions have set the stage for a major confrontation as the scheduled protest nears, keeping Punjab on high alert.