Amritsar/Jalandhar/Sangrur/Ludhiana, March 28 -- Panic buying and hoarding triggered by false social media rumours disrupted fuel supplies across Punjab districts on Friday. Misleading reports linked the ongoing West Asia conflict to a potential domestic fuel shortage, prompting a rush of commuters to petrol pumps since Thursday afternoon. District administrations in Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Amritsar have issued appeals urging citizens to ignore the rumours, as oil companies assured the government that supply lines remain normal. Driven by anxieties over the escalating conflict and rumours of a shortage, consumers in Sangrur and Barnala began attempting to stock diesel in private containers. Dolly Goel from Prem Filling Station in Sangrur said panicked customers demanded fuel in cans and bottles, but were denied as per guidelines. A similar situation prevailed in adjoining Barnala district. Uttam Bansal, the owner of Madan Lal Filling Station, noted that the rush peaks in the evening hours, with consumers arriving with drums and containers. The rush has left some commuters struggling to secure even basic amounts of fuel. In Bahadarpur, local commuter Jagdish Singh said he had been turned away as station workers waited for fresh tankers to arrive. Sangrur district food and supply controller Gurpreet Singh said that the panic is purely rumour-driven. Sangrur deputy commissioner Rahul Chaba said that oil companies are monitoring pumps, assuring the public there is no need to panic. The situation aggravated in Amritsar on Thursday afternoon after a price hike by a private retailer worsened public concerns. Chaos and serpentine queues were reported across the city, lasting well into the night. Due to the rise in demand, many filling stations exhausted their supplies and were forced to put up "out of stock" boards by Friday morning. To address the situation, a review meeting was convened under the directions of Amritsar deputy commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh attended by district food and civil supplies controller Harveen Kaur and sales officers from oil marketing companies. The dealers and oil companies clarified that daily replenishment is arriving as per schedule. Long queues and physical altercations were witnessed at several petrol stations across Patiala on Thursday night and throughout the day on Friday. Arguments between buyers escalated into physical altercations as people jostled to get ahead in queues. Several videos of heated exchanges and fights have already begun circulating on social media platforms. Patiala administration officials urged the public to remain calm and not to pay heed to unverified information. Patiala deputy commissioner Varjeet Walia said that ensuring a smooth and continuous supply of fuel is the top priority. He issued a stern warning against black marketing, hoarding stating that such practices will not be tolerated under any circumstances. During a meeting, the DC directed petrol pump operators to publicly display daily data on fuel supply and sales to maintain transparency. In the Doaba region, the heavy rush seen on Thursday night subsided by Friday morning as operations stabilised. Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said that oil distributors have confirmed ample stocks. Aggarwal added that enforcement teams have been deployed district-wide to monitor and check any illegal hoarding. In Hoshiarpur, DC Aashika Jain said that petroleum and LPG supplies are running smoothly. While commercial LPG is being supplied with certain caps, domestic LPG remains unaffected. One of the busiest petrol pumps in Jalandhar, situated right next to a posh hotel near the BMC Chowk, ran out of petrol on Friday. An employee of the petrol pump said, "The services will resume as soon as we receive supplies." Ashok Sachdeva, chairman of the Petrol Pump Dealers Association, said the surge in demand was triggered by speculation rather than any real shortage. He added that the sudden spike in buying has put pressure on available stocks. Aman Malhi, a petrol pump owner in Ludhiana, said, "My outlet typically sells around 6,000 litres daily; demand has risen to nearly 10,000 litres a day."...