Punjab Government’s firm crackdown on the striking tehsildars has yielded results, forcing them to call off their statewide protest unconditionally. What began as a show of defiance against the government’s actions turned into a swift retreat by Wednesday evening as suspensions, mass transfers, and warnings from the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made it clear that the administration would not tolerate any disruption in public services.
The revenue officials, who had gone on mass leave since Monday to protest against the vigilance crackdown on corruption, were left with no option but to return to work as the government stood its ground.
Faced with a no-nonsense approach from the Mann-led AAP Government, which included the suspension of 14 revenue officers and the transfer of 235 others — many to far-flung areas — the Punjab Revenue Officers Association was left scrambling for damage control. The final blow came when Deputy Commissioners (DCs) across the state began urging revenue officials to resume duty, citing law and order concerns due to the ongoing farmers' protests.
With mounting pressure from the government and the possibility of harsher disciplinary action, the striking tehsildars had no choice but to abandon their protest and resume work without any conditions.
The Punjab Revenue Officers Association had suspended the property registration work till March 7 in protest over the Vigilance Bureau action against some revenue officials in Ludhiana in a fraudulent land deal.
The revenue officials’ strike was primarily triggered by recent vigilance actions against corruption within the Revenue Department. However, the government wasted no time in cracking down on the protest, taking swift action against those who refused to return to duty. In a decisive move, Chief Minister Mann suspended multiple revenue officers while also granting special powers to other revenue officials to ensure that land registrations and other crucial services remained unaffected.
Additionally, the government announced the mass transfer of 235 revenue officials, including 58 tehsildars and 177 naib tehsildars. The transferred officers were posted to distant and less favorable locations, with some being shifted nearly 250 kilometers away from their original postings. Only a day before, the government had placed five tehsildars and nine naib tehsildars under suspension for not resuming their work despite a warning.
Despite initial resistance, cracks began to appear within the striking officials’ ranks as many started reporting back to duty fearing the repercussions. The government had made it clear that it would not yield to what it termed as “blackmail tactics” by the revenue officials attempting to shield their corrupt colleagues.
The final decision to withdraw the protest came after Punjab Revenue Officers Association officiating president Lachman Singh Randhawa informed his colleagues in a WhatsApp group that Deputy Commissioners across Punjab had been pressing them to return to duty, citing law and order concerns. With the farmers’ protests already keeping the administration on high alert, the Government was unwilling to tolerate another front of unrest.
Realizing that the situation was no longer in their favour, the tehsildars agreed to end their strike immediately, bringing an abrupt end to the standoff. The decision was taken following the marathon meeting of the Tehsildars, Kanungo and DC office Employees’ Unions in Moga.
Meanwhile, Tehsildar Association’s president Sukhcharan Singh Channi confirmed that tehsildars had resumed work and would continue to engage in discussions with the government regarding their grievances. However, sources indicated that the government remains unwilling to roll back its actions, especially concerning the suspensions and transfers.
Throughout the crisis, Chief Minister Mann remained defiant, sending a clear message that his Government would not tolerate any attempt to disrupt governance. In a social media post mocking the tehsildars’ strike, Mann sarcastically extended “best wishes for their collective leave” while reminding them that they would not have the luxury of choosing when and where to return to work.
Mann reiterated that the AAP Government was committed to eradicate corruption in the Revenue Department and that no official, regardless of rank, would be allowed to engage in malpractices. The Chief Minister also assured the public that land registrations and other revenue-related services would not suffer due to the strike, as alternative arrangements had already been put in place.
The strike was sparked by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau’s intensified crackdown on corruption within the Revenue Department. With multiple tehsildars under scrutiny for allegedly facilitating fraudulent land transactions, many revenue officials viewed the vigilance action as an attack on their fraternity. In response, they decided to proceed with mass leave, believing that collective action would force the government to back down.
However, the government’s immediate response — threatening suspensions, enforcing transfers, and appointing alternative officials to handle registrations — proved to be a game-changer. The administration’s tough stance ensured that public services were not disrupted, thereby denying the striking officials any leverage.