India, April 13 -- Wheat procurement across Sangrur, the grain basket of Punjab, came to a complete standstill ironically on the harvest festival of Baisakhi on Monday as the joint coordination committee of state procurement agencies officially suspended operations.

The strike has led to a standoff in chief minister Bhagwant Mann's home constituency, leaving scores of farmers stranded with their produce just as central teams arrived to inspect crop damage due to the unseasonal rain and storms earlier this month.

The boycott by field staff from Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, and the State Warehousing Corp was triggered by the removal of a Pungrain official in Patiala, Major Singh, on Sunday. Major Singh was relieved from duty after he refuse...