The police have discreetly relocated fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to a private hospital in Patiala, a move that has raised eyebrows given that Patiala was the focal point of the recent farmer agitation, where protesters had blocked the national highway near Shambhu and Khanauri.
The decision to shift Dallewal from Jalandhar came late on Saturday evening, according to sources, and he has been admitted to a private medical facility in Patiala, which is reportedly managed by a former Punjab Police officer who took charge of its administrative affairs post-retirement.
Dallewal’s hunger strike has now entered its 118th day, and his relocation has come as a surprise even to members of his union, who now believe they will have easier access to him.
Prior to this, he was held under heavy security at the PWD rest house in Jalandhar Cantonment, with police personnel stationed to prevent farmer leaders from reaching him.
His placement in Jalandhar followed a dramatic sequence of events that unfolded on the night of March 19 when he was detained from Mohali during a police crackdown. After his detention, he was taken to multiple locations before eventually being lodged at the Jalandhar facility.
The decision to keep him there was widely interpreted as a strategic move, given that his union has little influence in the Jalandhar region. The group’s stronghold is in the Malwa belt, making his sudden transfer to a Patiala hospital a significant and unexpected development.
Meanwhile, state police officials have remained tight-lipped on the matter, with no senior officer willing to issue an official statement regarding the reasons behind the transfer.
Also Read: HC issues notice to Punjab govt in Jagjit Dallewal's case
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