To mark a year of the Centre’s three farm laws, famers early on Monday began a “Bharat Bhandh”, following a nationwide call by farmer unions demanding scrapping of the legislations.
Hundreds of farmers gathered at various places across the country blocking national highways, including those connecting Delhi to Punjab and Haryana, squatting on railway tracks and roads leading to traffic diversions and disruptions in vehicular movement.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of the farmer unions, had called for a “Bharat Bandh” till 4 pm today.
Heavy police presence was seen, especially in Haryana and Punjab, to maintain law and order.
With farmers blocking national highways and major link roads in both Punjab and Haryana, police have diverted the traffic at several places.
Delhi Traffic Police has said the vehicular movement has been closed from Uttar Pradesh towards Ghazipur. Gurugram saw major traffic congestion due to the heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces.
Delhi-Amritsar National Highway has been blocked at Shahabad in Haryana’s Kurukshetra.
The National Highway 44 in Haryana have also been blocked.
On the Tikri boder, farmers sat on the railway tracks at Bahadurgarh railway station.
Rail operations in Delhi, Ambala and Firozepur divisions were impacted with people sitting on tracks. More than 20 railway tracks in Delhi were blocked by protesting farmers. Over 20 trains in the Ambala and Firozepur division have been affected, according to Northern Railway.
Farmers have also blocked the Shambhu border on the Punjab-Haryana border.
“In view of the Bharat bandh call by protesting farmers, we have blocked the Shambhu border till 4 pm,” a protesting farmer said.
The police have been deployed at all the locations where farmers are protesting, forces have been deployed since 5 am, Amritsar Police informed.
“At all locations where farmers are protesting, forces have been deployed since 5 am. Farmers’ protests are peaceful, so forces have also been told to not behave untowardly with them and bring to my notice if something happens,” Police Inspector Sanjeev Kumar said.
