Farmer Leader Ends Hunger Strike as Protests Clear in Punjab and Haryana

New Delhi – Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal ended his long hunger strike on Friday morning after accepting some water. He had been protesting to support farmers’ demands. The Punjab government informed the Supreme Court that they have cleared out the protesting farmers at the Khanauri and Shambhu borders, opening all blocked roads and highways.

The Supreme Court praised Dallewal, stating he is a true farmer leader without any political motives. The justices acknowledged that some people did not want the farmers’ issues to be resolved. They asked the Punjab and Haryana governments to provide a report on the current situation for farmers. The court also requested the high-level committee, led by a former judge, to submit an additional report on the farmers’ concerns.

Previously, on March 19, police detained several farmer leaders, including Dallewal, while they were returning from a meeting. The police had removed farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites, which had been blocked for over a year. These protests started last year on February 13 when farmers were stopped from marching to Delhi.

Farmers, under groups like SKM and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at these borders since then, demanding their rights and attention to their issues.