Overview
- A statewide rally of MGNREGA employees converged at Prem Bhandari Park and marched toward Punjab Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond’s residence, where heavy police deployment blocked their advance Wednesday.
- Police said they used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd while some officials and protesters alleged a lathi charge, a claim the Khanna SSP has denied.
- Hours after the confrontation, a commercial vehicle carrying returning protesters overturned near Bija, killing one worker identified by police as Sukhdev Singh and injuring about 20 people who were taken to local hospitals.
- Union leaders say workers were peacefully demanding release of pending wages and regularisation of services, and they have warned of escalated agitation if demands are not addressed; opposition parties have condemned the police response.
- MGNREGA staff have worked on rural programmes in Punjab for nearly two decades without regular employment and many report months of unpaid pay, a background that explains why the protest drew participants from all 23 districts and could fuel further unrest.