Farmers squatted on roads and rail corridors in several parts of Punjab and Haryana as the Bharat bandh called by them on Friday received a mixed response in other parts of the country.
The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha, spearheading the farmers’ protests against the three farm laws, had given the call for a nationwide shutdown to mark four months of their agitation on the borders of the national capital.
Barring Punjab and Haryana, the shutdown call received a mixed response from other parts of the country such as Bihar, Odisha, Bundelkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
Railways cancelled four Shatabdi trains, while the movement of 35 passenger trains and 40 goods trains were affected due to the protests.
In Delhi, the metro rail services remained largely unaffected, but traffic snarls were reported from places near the protests sites at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders.
In Gujarat, farmer leader Yudhvir Singh was arrested by the police while addressing a press conference at Motera in Ahmedabad, while Uttar Pradesh Police rounded up several CPI(ML) and All India Kisan Sabha activists.
In Punjab and Haryana, farmers gathered at several highways and roads, including in Bathinda, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Mohali, Rohtak, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Jhajjar, Jind, Panchkula, Kaithal, Yamunanagar and Bhiwani districts.
Farmer union leaders said they were allowing ambulances and other emergency vehicles as well as marriage processions to pass.
Haryana BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni issued an appeal to the agitating farmers to ensure the smooth passage of essential supplies or even sick persons travelling in private vehicles. “We have to protest peacefully,” Chaduni said.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders since November 26 last year demanding rollback of the three farm laws, which they claim have been enacted to benefit big corporate houses.
(Published 26 March 2021, 15:14 IST)
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