Visually Impaired protesters press for demands; Govt seeks 4 days, meeting with FinMin for Sept 3
Ferozepur, September 1, 2026: Members of the Netraheen Ekta Punjab Association on Tuesday took out a protest march towards the Punjab Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh, demanding the filling of backlog vacancies, an increase in pension and improvements in education for persons with visual impairment.
The visually impaired unemployed protesters have been holding an indefinite dharna outside the office of the Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development. The protesters said that despite assurances given earlier, the government had failed to issue notifications regarding backlog recruitment and pension-related demands.
Around 100 to 150 visually impaired persons participated in Tuesday’s protest, of whom nearly 60 to 70 marched from Sector 34-A towards the CM’s residence. The Chandigarh Police had erected heavy barricades to stop the march, with a large number of police personnel deployed at the spot.
According to the protesters, a scuffle and pushing took place between the police and the demonstrators as the latter attempted to proceed towards the CM’s residence. Several protesters were detained in buses and were allegedly directed to confine their protest to a designated location, failing which they would be taken to a police station.
The protesters further alleged that the police attempted to disperse the demonstrators by separating them. While some were taken to the Sector 43 bus stand, others were taken to a police station, while some were dropped back at the dharna site in Sector 34-A.
Following the tense situation, a delegation of the protesters was taken by the police administration to the Chief Minister’s residence, where a meeting was held with the Chief Minister’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD). The government sought four days’ time to address the demands, while the police administration assured the protesters that a meeting with Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema would be arranged on September 3.
The major demands of the association include immediate filling of backlog posts reserved for persons with disabilities, improvement in educational facilities and an increase in pension.
Association President Nirmal Singh Bararwal of Sangrur and General Secretary Sukhpal Singh Dhillon said that if no concrete solution to their demands emerged during the September 3 meeting, the association would intensify its agitation in the coming days.