Braving heavy rain, activists of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, joined by members of several farmer unions and Sikh organisations, staged a three-hour rail blockade at Sirhind railway station on Saturday, demanding the release of Sikh prisoners who have completed their jail terms.
The protest, organised as part of the morcha’s statewide “rail roko” call, brought rail traffic on the busy Delhi-Amritsar-Jammu route to a standstill from 11 am to 2 pm, disrupting the movement of more than 13 trains.
Hundreds of protesters gathered near the new Sirhind railway station at Madhopur crossing and sat on the tracks despite continuous rainfall. Raising slogans against both the Centre and the Punjab Government, they alleged that several Sikh prisoners remain behind bars despite completing their sentences, describing the delay in their release as a grave injustice.
Senior leaders, including Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Karnail Singh Panjoli, Baljit Singh Bhutta, Amarinder Singh Libra, Harnek Singh Bhallmajra and Shingara Singh, addressed the gathering.
Officials of the Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police and the district police made repeated attempts to persuade the protesters to vacate the tracks. However, the demonstrators refused to end their dharna before the scheduled time.
The blockade severely affected railway operations. The Vande Bharat Express travelling from Katra to Delhi was diverted from Sirhind Junction via New Morinda, Chandigarh and Ambala. Several other trains, including the Jan Sewa Express, Amrapali Express, Delhi-Pathankot Express and Saryu-Yamuna Express, besides a number of passenger services, were either halted at stations before Sirhind or diverted through alternate routes. Train schedules continued to be affected even after rail traffic resumed around 2 pm. Morcha leaders announced that a protest would be held outside the Governor’s House on August 15.
