Punjab Bandh: Markets, Schools, Roads Affected As Farmers, Akali Factions Rally Behind Qaumi Insaaf Morcha's Call

Punjab Bandh August 21: SGPC and Akali factions back the Punjab Bandh called for August 21 over Bandi Singhs’ release. Here’s what travellers and commuters should expect.

North Desk Correspondent

Chandigarh, August 18 (Updated August 19, August 21)

The Punjab Bandh Call on Friday has received a major response as many educational institutions are closed, exams postponed, and many people working from home to avoid getting caught up in blockades. There are reports of highways and roads being affected due to the bandh.

Farmer unions, SGPC and others have backed the ‘Punjab bandh’ call given by Qaumi Insaf Morcha on August 21 to press for the release of Sikh prisoners. Roads especially the state and national highways are likely to be affected and so will be the trains as the protesters have decided to lay siege to highways and railway tracks. Shops and other commercial establishments are also likely to be affected across the state.

The Punjab government has ordered the closure of schools in the state; some school managements in Chandigarh also announced the closure. Panjab University in Chandigarh also announced postponement of its exams scheduled on Friday; these exams now stand rescheduled to September 10.

The morcha leaders had earlier sought support from every section of society to make the Punjab Bandh call a success. Qaumi Insaf Morcha leader Surjit Singh Phul said the call for bandh has been given from 7 am till 2 pm in the state on Friday.

Punjab Bandh called by the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha for August 21 is no longer just a fringe protest group’s threat: it now carries the weight of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and a widening coalition of Akali factions, farmer unions and religious bodies. For anyone travelling through Punjab that day, here’s what’s confirmed, what remains unofficial, and what past bandhs suggest about the disruption to expect.

Why Punjab Bandh August 21 is different from a routine one

The Punjab Bandh (August 21) call followed Saturday’s violent standoff outside Chandigarh, where police used tear gas, water cannons and drones to stop Qaumi Insaaf Morcha supporters from marching on the Punjab Governor’s residence. The march ended in four FIRs against protest leaders, including Simranjit Singh Mann and Bapu Gurcharan Singh. The bandh call is explicitly framed as a response to that crackdown as much as it is about the underlying demand: release of the Bandi Singhs, Sikh prisoners who have completed their sentences but remain in custody, chief among them Jagtar Singh Hawara.

What’s escalated the story since Saturday is who’s now backing the shutdown. SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami announced the Committee’s institutional support on Tuesday, rescheduling the SGPC’s committee meeting from August 21 to August 22 and ordering the SGPC headquarters and all its affiliated institutions to stay shut on bandh day. Dhami’s statement accused the state government of trying to suppress the voices of those fighting for the Bandi Singhs’ release rather than addressing the community’s sentiment— language that positions the SGPC squarely behind the Morcha rather than merely sympathetic to it.

Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) president Giani Harpreet Singh announced his organisation’s full backing on Monday, calling the bandh a message against government “high-handedness.” Broader reporting also points to support from farmer unions, Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) (the outfit associated with jailed MP Amritpal Singh) and Nihang organisations, suggesting the shutdown has moved well beyond a single group’s protest into a cross-spectrum panthic mobilisation.

Farmers, labour union support bandh

Certain farmer and labour unions have supported the bandh. Sarwan Singh Pandher, a union leader, has released a video saying that Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee supports the bandh call. He said that the morcha has been pressing for its demands for over three years. He repeated the demands of the Morcha saying that the Sikh prisoners have completed their sentence long back and should be released immediately. He condemned the government of India’s action against the morcha when it was marching to the Punjab Raj Bhawan.

A notable voice from the other side

Adding an unusual dimension to the debate: Beant Singh’s grandson and BJP MP Ravneet Singh Bittu has reportedly voiced support for Hawara’s parole specifically on humanitarian grounds tied to his ailing mother, while cautioning against politicising the issue — a rare crack in what’s otherwise a starkly polarised standoff between the Morcha and the state.

ALSO: Khanauri Border Sealed, But Here’s What Farmers are Now Protesting For

What travellers and commuters should expect

Schools are shut and exams have been postponed, and roads and rail network are expected to be disrupted, Organisers on Wednesday stated that the bandh will start from 7 am and continue until 2 pm.

Roads and highways: Expect blockades at major intersections, toll plazas, and national highways in multiple districts, not just Chandigarh/Mohali. Past bandhs have seen key stretches like the Patiala-Chandigarh highway, Jalandhar-Ludhiana road, and various district crossings obstructed for hours at a time.

Public transport: Punjab Roadways, PRTC, and private bus operators have gone off the road entirely during past bandh calls when transporter unions extended support. So one advise to those planning to travel: AVOID.

Rail services: Previous large-scale bandhs led Northern Railway to cancel or short-terminate dozens of trains passing through Punjab. If your travel plans include rail through the state on August 21, our suggestion will be AVOID.

Shops and markets: Commercial establishments, including grain markets in mandi towns, have typically shut in past bandhs and expect the same on Friday, though essential services — medical facilities, ambulances, and often petrol pumps for emergencies — have generally continued to function.

Government offices: These have varied by bandh — generally remaining open and functional. However, often the working is affected because of thin attendance, traffic jams and other reasons. 

For those driving in from outside Punjab: Border districts and highways connecting to neighbouring Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh have seen the heaviest disruption in past shutdowns, given protest sites tend to cluster at interstate boundary points. So as suggested, avoid travel.

ALSO: Qaumi Insaaf Morcha Protest: Hawara’s Father, Simranjit Mann Booked; 17 Arrested

ALSO: Hawara Parole U-Turn: Punjab Police Opposed It Months Ago, Now Mann Meets Governor

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