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Farmers have gone on strike across India in a dispute over new farm laws, and thousands continue to block key roads on the outskirts of New Delhi in protest.
There is strong security throughout the country to try to prevent any violence.
In Delhi, the capital, the police are strong and have warned people against disorder or trying to force the closure of shops and markets.
Unions have called for calm, but there are reports of protesters fighting with the police and some throwing stones in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Protesters have stopped traffic on national roads, while most trucks and buses have also been kept off the roads after transport unions joined the strike.
Farmers have blocked most of the roads on the outskirts of Delhi for 12 days, suffocating the city, after they were denied entry to protest.
Tens of thousands of farmers have closed the main roads around Delhi after being prevented from reaching the capital.
Trains were also stopped in some states due to protests on the tracks by unions. Many markets and shops have also remained closed.
Farmers say the three federal laws, which deregulate crop prices, will cut their profits by dismantling the system that guarantees them income and leaving them vulnerable to large private companies.
All the main opposition political parties have come out in support of the strike.
The government argues that the laws will abolish middlemen and improve farmers’ incomes, as they will have a larger market to sell.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government’s intentions were “as sacred as the water of the Ganges river” and claimed that farmers “were being misled about these historic agricultural reform laws by the very people who for decades have misled them.
In a televised speech on Monday, he added: “Development reforms are needed. The reforms are very necessary for a new order and to provide new facilities.”
Farmers in Amritsar burned an effigy of the prime minister and other figures last week.
“We cannot build the next century with the laws of the previous century”,
But farmers are in no mood to give in – even in this period of a raging pandemic and next winter, thousands of people are living on the roads and highways.
They are prepared for the long term, with food and rations for three or four months.
So far, four rounds of talks between the government and union leaders have produced no progress, and a fifth is scheduled for December 9.
Farmers from Punjab and Haryana are leading the protests and are gradually receiving support from those from other states, who are heading to Delhi.
The administration had tried to block their march using concrete barriers, barbed wire and even excavating roads.
There were minor clashes on some of the borders when the police used tear gas and water cannons.
In Delhi, there are concerns about food, vegetable and milk shortages due to the blockade.
Blockages and barbed wire have been placed in some places to block off farmers.
The problem could turn into a major headache for the Modi government, as farmers and those associated with agriculture account for more than 70% of the population.
It may only contribute 17-18% of GDP, but all issues related to farmers are sensitive, as they have a great influence on voting patterns.
No political or political party would want to be seen as anti-farmer.
Shiromani Akali Dal, one of the BJP-led government’s oldest allies, has withdrawn from the alliance on farm laws.
Farmers and those associated with agriculture make up more than 70% of the population.
While there is no danger to the government of Prime Minister Modi, the longer the problem remains unresolved, the more damage it will do to its image.
In the UK, 36 MPs, led by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi from the Labor Party, rallied in support of farmers and called on Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to raise the matter with Delhi.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the first world leader to comment on the issue.
In a video message to mark the 551st anniversary of the birth of Sikh leader Guru Nanak, he said: “The situation is worrying and we are all very concerned about family and friends.
“I know it is a reality for many of you. Let me remind you that Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest,” he said.
India quickly summoned Canadian High Commissioner Nadir Patel and told him that the comments were “unacceptable interference” in the country’s internal affairs and that, if continued, would have a “seriously damaging” impact on bilateral relations.
At the United Nations, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, told reporters that people “have the right to demonstrate peacefully and the authorities must allow them to do so.”
