Ludhiana, Aug. 21 -- Retired Punjab Police Home Guard personnel brought traffic on the National Highway-44 to a standstill on Thursday by staging a sit-in at the Ladhowal toll plaza, disrupting movement between Ludhiana and Jalandhar for nearly four hours.

A large number of retired home guards gathered at the toll plaza and blocked both carriageways to press for their long-pending demands. The protesters said the highway remained entirely blocked from around noon until 4pm, resulting in long queues of vehicles on both sides.

The agitation centred on demands for pension schemes, post-retirement social security benefits, salary revisions, and regularisation.

The protestors said home guards had worked with Punjab police personnel to maint...