Punjab is preparing for an unusually intense day of statewide protests on November 26, with multiple groups — farmers, power-sector engineers, Panjab University Bachao Morcha and pensioners — announcing separate agitations that are expected to converge into one of the biggest protest days the state has seen in the recent memory.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will lead a major march to Chandigarh to mark five years since the 2020 farmers’ agitation began. Farmers from across the state are planning to move towards Sector 34, where they intend to hold a central gathering. SKM leaders say the march is meant to remind the Centre of the commitments made in 2021, including a legally guaranteed MSP formula and action on cases filed during the earlier protest.
On the same day, the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers Association will launch its statewide agitation, alleging increasing political interference in the functioning of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and the transmission corporation. The association has accused the government of sidelining senior engineers and taking punitive action against technical officials. As a symbolic protest, engineers have announced that they will exit all official WhatsApp work groups starting November 26, and a larger rally is scheduled in Patiala on December 2 if their concerns remain unresolved.
At Panjab University, tensions have been escalating for weeks. The PU Bachao Morcha, which includes student unions, employee bodies and social groups, has called for a complete shutdown of the campus on November 26. The groups are demanding that the university immediately notify the long-pending Senate election schedule. They have warned that if the schedule is not released by November 25, all entry gates will be blocked and the campus will be immobilised for the day.
Adding to the day’s pressure, pensioner organisations across Punjab have stepped up their demand for the full restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). While the state issued a notification for OPS in 2022, unions say the government has not released the Standard Operating Procedure required for its implementation. Pensioners plan to hold demonstrations a day earlier, on November 25, and several groups are expected to join gatherings on November 26 as well.
The convergence of these separate protests — each with its own grievances but all directed at governmental delays and policy concerns — has created a rare moment of statewide mobilisation. Security agencies and the Chandigarh administration are preparing for increased movement on key routes leading into the city.
With farmers marching towards Chandigarh, engineers escalating their agitation, the university preparing for a shutdown, and pensioners renewing pressure on the state, November 26 is likely to be a big day for both Punjab and Chandigarh.