Punjab bandh preparations disrupted road movement around Mansa on Wednesday after anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota was killed in the town on Tuesday, with police barricading the Barnala-Mansa road and other routes and deploying heavy force in anticipation of a large gathering.
According to a report by The Times of India, loaded tipper-trucks were parked along the roadside as a backup measure while barricades were placed on roads leading towards Mansa. Police personnel were also deployed in the town and along the routes approaching it.
Travellers on the affected roads were stopped and asked about the purpose of their journey, the report said. The checks added to disruption for people attempting to move through the area as activists called on residents across Punjab to reach Mansa.
Bus services were also affected. Passengers at Handiaya Chowk told The Times of India that they had been waiting for buses for a long time, but no buses had arrived. The disruption leaves road-based public transport users with limited options on routes connected to Mansa and nearby areas.
The road restrictions followed a gathering of activists in Mansa a day after Jhota’s killing. During the gathering, activists called for a Punjab bandh on October 15. The report did not provide details of the bandh’s expected duration, the number of roads affected or any official estimate of the crowd expected in Mansa.
The current restrictions also echo security arrangements made after Gulzar Singh, the father of a man described as drug-dependent, died by suicide at Toor Banzara village in Sangrur on September 7. At that time, barricading was carried out and senior political leaders had difficulty reaching the village, with BJP state president Kewal Singh Dhillon walking a considerable distance to reach Gulzar Singh’s residence.
Political activity was also reported in Mansa on Wednesday. Congress state president Pargat Singh reached the town and addressed a rally, while BJP state president Kewal Singh Dhillon was among the senior party functionaries associated with the earlier Sangrur episode. The Times of India report did not state whether any formal administrative decision had been announced regarding the October 15 bandh or when normal bus and road movement would resume.
