Chandigarh: Despite elaborate security arrangements and claims that protesters would be confined to the Sector 45 gaushala light point, supporters of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh breached multiple police barricades on Wednesday and marched deep into Chandigarh, reaching within 100 metres of the Punjab and Haryana Raj Bhawans. The protesters, associated with Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), were demanding the release of Amritpal Singh and other Sikh prisoners.The protest triggered massive traffic chaos across the city, with snarls reported in Sectors 3, 4, 7, 8, 20, 21, 27, 28, 33, 34, 44 and 45, as well as along key stretches of Madhya Marg and Vikas Marg till late evening. Traffic on the road linking Sector 45 Gaushala Chowk with Mohali’s Phase VIII was particularly affected. Despite a traffic advisory issued by Chandigarh Police a day in advance, commuters faced long delays as protesters moved beyond the designated protest site.The march coincided with school dispersal hours, leaving school buses, ambulances and hundreds of commuters stranded in prolonged traffic jams at several intersections.The Chandigarh administration had permitted the demonstration only up to the Sector 44/45/50/51 roundabout and had erected heavy barricading at the Sector 45 entry point. However, a section of protesters allegedly dismantled barricades and attempted to march towards Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s official residence in Sector 2.Police used water cannons and mild force to disperse the crowd, but large groups of protesters entered the city through alternative routes, including from the Sector 34 side, prompting additional security deployment. Fresh barricades were erected near the chief minister’s residence and close to the Punjab and Haryana Raj Bhawans.Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur said 15 police personnel were injured and an FIR was being registered. SSP Kaur said, “The protesters were stopped at Gaushala Chowk and warned against going ahead as Section 163 of BNSS was in force. But they turned violent and broke the barricades. Some of them were carrying swords and other weapons.”Senior officials, including the inspector general of police and senior superintendent of police, supervised security arrangements. Personnel from Chandigarh Police, the CM’s security wing, CRPF and reserve forces remained deployed at strategic locations.The protesters were eventually stopped near the Sector 3/4/7/8 roundabout, around 100 metres from the Raj Bhawans, where they staged a sit-in and raised slogans against the Punjab govt and the police.Amritpal’s father appeal goes unheardDuring the protest, Amritpal Singh’s father, Tarsem Singh, parked his vehicle on the Sector 20-21 dividing road and appealed to supporters through a public address system not to advance further, alleging that anti-social elements had infiltrated the gathering. Despite the appeal, hundreds continued towards the high-security zone, forcing police to further tighten security.Arrival on tractorsSeveral protesters also arrived on tractors, adding to the congestion. The agitation ended later in the evening after senior police officers accepted the protesters’ charter of demands and assured them that it would be forwarded to the Punjab chief minister. Following the assurance, the protesters dispersed from the Sector 3/4/7/8 intersection.Worst-hit areasThe protest triggered massive traffic chaos across the city, with snarls reported in Sectors 3, 4, 7, 8, 20, 21, 27, 28, 33, 34, 44 and 45, as well as along key stretches of Madhya Marg and Vikas Marg till late evening. Traffic on the road linking Sector 45 Gaushala Chowk with Mohali’s Phase VIII was particularly affected.
