Seventy-year-old farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, on hunger strike for 35 days, urged youths on Monday to rush to the Khanauri border, where he is fasting, to “save” the farmers’ movement against the Centre’s “highhandedness”.

His appeal came on a day farmers blocked roads and railway tracks across Punjab to enforce a state-wide shutdown, and a day before the Supreme Court hears what measures the Punjab government has taken towards the ailing Dallewal’s treatment.

Farmers led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, after security forces stopped them from marching to Delhi. Their demands to the Centre include legally guaranteed minimum support prices (MSPs), among others.

“I appeal to the youths of Punjab and Haryana to rush to the Khanauri border in large numbers to save this ongoing satyagraha (movement) against the Centre’s highhandedness,” Dallewal said in a video message.

“This is a battle for the rights and betterment of farmers but this government wants to crush this movement. Farmers too are part of India and we want to sacrifice our lives if our democratic rights are not fulfilled.”

On Saturday, the apex court had warned of strict action against Punjab’s chief secretary and director-general of police if its directions on Dallewal’s hospitalisation were ignored. It had then adjourned the matter to Tuesday.

Dallewal’s health is being monitored daily by a group of private doctors at the initiative of the protesting farm unions.

A team of Punjab government officials had on Sunday tried to persuade Dallewal to take medical aid but he declined, fearing a plan to remove him from the
protest site.

Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border since November 26 to push the farmers’ demands, which include debt waivers, pensions, a freeze on power tariff hikes, and the withdrawal of police cases against agitating farmers, apart from MSP guarantees.

A further demand is “justice” for the Lakhimpur Kheri victims – farmers crushed under the wheels of a car belonging to then BJP Union minister Ajay “Teni” Mishra in 2021.

A jatha (group) of 101 farmers had tried to march to Delhi on foot three times between December 6 and 14 but were stopped by security personnel from Haryana.

The Supreme Court last week censured the Punjab government for its failure to hospitalise Dallewal despite repeated medical advice to do so. The court had observed that this was not just a “failure of the law-and-order machinery” but also“abetment to suicide”.

It had asked the state government to persuade Dallewal to shift to a hospital, granting it the liberty to seek logistical support from the Centre, if necessary.

The court had also expressed dismay that the state was failing to strike a balance between maintaining law and order and protecting human life.

“We are with the people of Punjab and the farmer community. Our orders are not adversarial but aim to protect the life of one of the state’s tallest farmer leaders,” the court said.

On Monday, farmers blocked roads at over 200 locations across Punjab, causing massive disruptions in commuter and freight movement.

Police sources said the farmers’ “Rail Roko Andolan” led to the cancellation of 163 trains while 34 others made truncated trips, 15 were delayed and 9halted en route.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said emergency services --- including flights, medical services and wedding or job interview-related travel --- were excluded from the shutdown call, made to push for the farmers’ demands and express solidarity with Dallewal.