Chandigarh: All toll plazas across Punjab will remain free for four hours today as the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha stages a statewide protest demanding the release of Sikh detainees.
The morcha has announced sit-ins at all toll plazas across the state, due to which toll collection will remain suspended from 11 am to 3 pm. Protesters have begun arriving at toll plazas since morning. The organisation has also appealed to other allied groups to extend support.
Office-bearers said they have been fighting for a long time but the central government has failed to release Sikh detainees. As a result, the decision was taken to make toll plazas free across Punjab. Several farmer organisations are supporting the protest.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Union president Dilbagh Singh announced that the Ladowal toll plaza in Ludhiana and the Neelo toll plaza near Samrala will also be made free for four hours. He said members of his organisation will be present at every toll plaza in support of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha.
The Qaumi Insaaf Morcha has been consistently campaigning for the release of Sikh detainees and justice in the 2015 sacrilege incidents and the Behbal Kalan firing case. The morcha had earlier led protests in Bargari and nearby areas over the 2015 sacrilege incidents. In January 2023, it began a permanent protest in Mohali. Supporters of the morcha have also marched towards Chandigarh and held demonstrations on several occasions.
