Protest of various organizations in Chandigarh during the Bharat bandh on Tuesday. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)
The Bharat bandh called by groups of protesting farmers 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. 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.
In Delhi, apart from Azadpur Mandi, most markets remained open There were reports of clashes between Congress and BJP workers in Jaipur, where mandis were closed but shops remained open In Maharashtra, wholesale markets in major cities as Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Aurangabad were close. Retail stores and agricultural produce market committees (APMC) were closed in many parts of the state.
The farmers had called Bharat Bandh against the three central agricultural laws (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
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.
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