Tue Dec 17 06:09:53 UTC 2024: ## Punjab Farmers to Stage Three-Hour Rail Blockade

**Chandigarh, India** – Farmers in Punjab will stage a three-hour “Rail Roko” (rail blockade) on Wednesday, from 12 pm to 3 pm, to pressure the central government to address their demands, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher announced Tuesday. The protest marks the 309th day of ongoing farmer demonstrations.

Pandher urged all Punjabis to participate, emphasizing the need for unified action against what he described as the government’s inaction on the farmers’ twelve key demands. He stressed that the protest is not directed at the state government.

The call for a rail blockade comes amidst growing concern for the health of Jagjit Singh Dallewal, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), who is on a 21-day hunger strike. Pandher described Dallewal’s condition as critical, warning the central government of responsibility should anything happen to him. Congress MP Manickam Tagore has also raised the alarm, submitting an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha urging the government to engage in meaningful dialogue with the farmers and take immediate action regarding Dallewal’s deteriorating health. Dallewal, despite medical advice, has refused hospitalization, remaining committed to his hunger strike. Pandher credited a Punjabi singer with transforming the farmers’ cause into a significant people’s movement.

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