In Barnala district, Punjab, India, four members of the Road Sangharsh Committee have been booked by police for obstructing work on the Bharatmala highway project. The protesters, who have been demonstrating since March 19, are demanding higher compensation for land acquired from 12 villages. They argue that while farmers in Ludhiana received ₹82 lakh per acre, those in Barnala were compensated with only ₹58 lakh per acre. The police action followed a complaint from the project director of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and district authorities. The protesters were charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the National Highways Act, including charges related to obstructing public servants and unlawful assembly. Despite the police action, the farmers maintain that their protests have been peaceful across several villages, including Bhadaur and Ramgarh.