Updated: December 9, 2020 7:52:56 am
During Bharat bandh at Ghumar Mandi in Ludhiana on Tuesday. (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
THE BHARAT bandh called by groups of farmers in protest saw the greatest response in Punjab and Haryana, where roads were blocked and markets were closed on Tuesday. The shutdown, backed by most opposition parties and trade unions, also had some impact in states like Odisha, Maharashtra and Bihar.
In Punjab and Haryana, shops and commercial establishments were closed, as were many fuel pumps. Farmers gathered on highways and other key highways in both states from the morning.
More than 50,000 government employees took massive casual leave in support of farmers, said the president of the Punjab Civil Secretariat Staff Association Sukhchain Khaira.
In neighboring Haryana, most key roads, including national highways, were blocked for more than three hours.
Authorities said the bandh was peaceful.
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Farmers unions had threatened to block national highways and occupy toll plazas across the country during a “chakka jam” protest from 11 am to 3 pm. Security was strengthened as protests took place in some places. Protesters also blocked train tracks in various locations in West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha.
Protest of various organizations in Chandigarh during the Bharat bandh on Tuesday. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)
In Delhi, apart from Azadpur Mandi, most of the markets remained open.
There were reports of clashes between Congress and BJP workers in Jaipur, where the mandis were closed but the shops remained open.
In Maharashtra, wholesale markets in major cities such as Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Aurangabad were closed. Retail stores and agricultural produce market committees (APMC) were closed in many parts of the state.
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In West Bengal, where Trinamool’s ruling Congress joined Congress and the left in supporting the shutdown but steered clear of enforcing it, the response was mixed. Train tracks were blocked in several places and there were sit-ins on main roads.
Life was also disrupted in Bihar with the railroad tracks, highways and internal roads filled with protesters as opposition parties extended their support. In Jehanabad, the movement of the Patna-Palamu Express was obstructed for a few minutes until the police drove off the bandh supporters, who were squatting on the tracks.
Train services were also affected in Odisha as activists from farmers’ organizations, trade unions and political parties held sit-ins on the Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Bhadrak and Balasore tracks. In other parts of the state, normal life was affected with the closing of markets and offices and the congress and supporters of the left blocking the main roads.
The main cities of Chhattisgarh, ruled by Congress, were deserted, most of the commercial establishments were closed and public transport was kept away.
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In Assam, shops lowered the blinds, protesters blocked traffic and rallies were organized, but most offices were operational. Dozens of protesters were detained, authorities said.
At the Singhu border, Tuesday. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav)
The ruling TRS and Opposition parties, including Congress and several unions, held protests in Telangana. In Tamil Nadu, the opposition DMK and its allies, including Congress, held protests across the state, but life was largely unaffected. In Puducherry, however, the so-called bandh elicited an almost total response.
Normal life was disrupted in parts of Karnataka as farmers and workers took to the roads. Many organizations in the state supported the bandh. In some states, including Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh, life continued unhindered.
In a statement, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) said that more than 50 lakh people participated in 20,000 places to make Bharat Bandh “successful”.
At a press conference in Singhu, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, President of BKU, Haryana, said: “We thank everyone for participating in the protest and turning it into a super bandh. The farmers showed that we can carry out protests in a peaceful way.
– With ENS, PTI inputs
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