Even as the protesting Punjab Government employees’ unions continue to garner support from other unions and federations, one of their prominent leaders, Sukhchain Singh Khera, has been transferred by the state government from the Administration Branch in the Punjab Civil Secretariat to the Planning Branch located outside the Secretariat.“I or any other leader of the Union will not succumb to the government pressure of rolling back the protests. I have been transferred to ensure my presence in the Secretariat is minimal,” Khera told The Tribune. On Jattvibeday, the union leaders had announced that all employees of Punjab Government will go on mass casual leave again on September 8, after affecting a successful mass casual leave protest on August 27.The transfer of Khera, who is one of the most prominent voices of the protesting employees, follows the previous orders of the state government to quell the protest by its 4 lakh employees and 3.50 lakh pensioners. On August 27, when lakhs of employees of the state government proceeded on mass casual leave to press the government to release their pending DA instalments, fulfill the promise to revert to Old Pension Scheme and for other service related issues, the government had first asked its officers to prepare lists of employees who availed leave on the day of protests and later asked them to issue these protesting employees showcause notices for alleged “unauthorised leave”.Now, the Punjab Government has decided to move the Supreme Court of India against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order asking the state government to release the pending DA dues.Meanwhile, All India State Government Employees Federation has thrown its weight behind Punjab government employees, facing threat of show-cause notices for participating in the August 27 mass casual leave. The federation has warned that any punitive action against the protesters could trigger nationwide protests against the AAP Government.Federation national president Subhash Lamba has condemned the Punjab Government’s decision to issue notices to employees who stayed away from work as part of the agitation, terming it an ‘attempt to intimidate employees and curb their democratic right to protest.’Lamba said the federation would launch a nationwide agitation if the Punjab Government initiated disciplinary action against any employee who participated in the protest. He said the August 27 strike was not a sudden development and had followed several phases of agitation and prior notices to the government.