CBRN event in India on Sat 16th May 2026

Police said the Governor waited for the representatives to meet as per the earlier schedule. Still, at the Chandigarh-Mohali borders, farmers were adamant about marching in large numbers to the Bhavan, with some even scuffling with the police. Chandigarh’s Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur told reporters, “Farmers lacked permission for the march. We held a meeting with farmers’ outfits recently, but they did not inform us about the march. Their programme was only to submit a memorandum to the Governor. The Governor also gave time to 32 representatives and waited for them.” The SSP said police stopped the farmers when they marched and crossed barricades. “We only used minor force to stop them,” she said. Police said they briefly detained some farmers who were later released. They claimed that four to five jawans sustained injuries in the police-farmers scuffle. A brief scuffle also broke out between protesters and security personnel during the confrontation. Eyewitnesses claimed that some tear gas shells landed inside a nearby housing society, triggering panic among residents. Several farmers reportedly sustained minor injuries during the police action, while many turbans were dislodged amid the chaos. Despite the crackdown, protesting farmers continued raising slogans against the Central Government and the Chandigarh administration. Earlier in the day, hundreds of farmers from across Punjab gathered at Nature Park to protest against issues related to Punjab’s river waters, Punjab University Chandigarh, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), and other agriculture-related concerns. Farmers from various districts had started arriving in Mohali since Wednesday night, with many staying overnight at Gurdwara Amb Sahib and Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan in Sohana. Prominent farmer leaders, including Balbir Singh Rajewal, Harinder Singh Lakhowal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Parmdeep Singh Baidwan, addressed the gathering and criticised both the Central and Punjab governments over issues concerning Punjab and farmers’ rights. Addressing the gathering, Balbir Singh Rajewal said, “Chandigarh belongs to Punjab, and nobody can stop us from going there.” Farmer leaders maintained that their march towards the Punjab Raj Bhavan was peaceful and democratic and said they would not bow down under pressure. After the rally, farmer unions announced they would march to Punjab Raj Bhavan to submit a memorandum outlining their demands. Senior police officials from Mohali and Chandigarh, including DSP City-2 Harsimran Singh Bal and Chandigarh DSP Gurjeet Kaur, held talks with farmer leaders and appealed to them to submit the memorandum at the protest site itself instead of proceeding towards Chandigarh. However, the farmers rejected the proposal and continued with the march. Heavy barricading and police deployment had already been put in place near the Burail Jail road and adjoining areas before the farmers reached the Chandigarh borders. Following the police action, farmer unions accused the administration of suppressing a peaceful democratic protest. In protest against the crackdown, the farmers decided not to proceed further to submit their memorandum to the Punjab Governor and instead returned from the protest site. Later, farmer leaders announced statewide protests at district headquarters across Punjab on Saturday, during which effigies of the Punjab Governor and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be burnt in protest against the police action and handling of the demonstration. Meanwhile, Chandigarh Police detained around 25 to 30 protesters, including two women, during the agitation. All detained protesters were later released.