# Water cannons on Punjab govt employees as protest called off after talks 2026-08-06T20:46:14+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Police used water cannons on thousands of Punjab government employees and pensioners who tried to march towards the state assembly in Chandigarh on Friday. The protest, organised by the Sanjha Mulazam Manch, saw over 20,000 employees from 58 associations gather at Sector 39's Dana Mandi ground. Tension escalated when some protesters breached barricades, prompting police action. The rally was called off after the government assured a meeting on August 27 to discuss demands including 18% Dearness Allowance arrears, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, and implementation of the Assured Career Progression scheme. The employees had also raised issues of contractual workers' regularisation and withdrawal of certain notifications. Union leaders said they expect concrete decisions from the upcoming talks. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com - indiatoday.in Tags: government employees, Ludhiana, Maha Rally, public services, Punjab Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ludhiana-services-face-disruption-as-2000-staff-join-punjab-rally/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ludhiana-services-face-disruption-as-2000-staff-join-punjab-rally/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.