Akali Dal: Punjabis being restricted from entering Delhi ahead of Parliament march

Sukhbir Singh Badal, the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, claimed early on Friday that activists of his party had been stopped at Delhi's borders.

The Akali Dal had called for a march to Parliament on Friday to mark the first anniversary of the passage of the three farm laws by the Narendra Modi government. The Lok Sabha had passed the three farm laws on September 17 last year. The Akali Dal had ended its alliance with the BJP and left the NDA in the wake of the passage of the laws.

The Akali Dal had called for the march to Parliament to mark September 17 as a black day. Akali Dal activists would march from the Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib to the Parliament at 9.30am, led by Sukhbir and his wife and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Taking to Twitter just before 2am on Friday, Sukhbir alleged "Peaceful Akali protestors have been stopped at Delhi borders and Punjab registered cars are not being allowed to enter Delhi. Why are Punjabis not being permitted in the national capital? This is a sad reminder of dark days."

Sukhbir shared a video showing protesters shouting slogans against the Delhi Police late at night and barricades erected by police.

The Akali Dal Twitter handle alleged, "All Delhi borders have been sealed and Punjab vehicles are being stopped. While all others pass, Punjabis are being told that our entry has been restricted. Our peaceful voices have seemingly scared the powers that be."

" It also claimed access to the Delhi gurdwara from where the march would take place was being restricted. "Looking at the number of farmers and Akali Dal cadre coming for the protest today, Rakab Ganj Sahib is being cordoned off to stop Punjabis from entering. This is a reminder of dark dictatorial times," the Akali Dal tweeted.

The Delhi Police had denied permission for the Akali Dal march to Parliament, citing fears of violence. However, the party announced it would go ahead and court arrest. "It is highly undemocratic of the Centre and the Delhi Police to stop our peaceful march to Parliament. We will go ahead with our plan to mark our solidarity with the farmers," Akali Dal spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema was quoted as saying by The Tribune.

On Thursday, Sukhbir tweeted that a large number of Akali Dal activists had reached Delhi. He shared photographs showing him visiting a gurdwara to meet them.