The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a 'Bharat Bandh' on Monday, September 27, to mark the first anniversary of the enactment of the three farm laws.
The nationwide strike is being observed from 6 am to 4 pm today. The Bandh has garnered support from more than 500 farmer organizations, 15 trade unions, political parties, six state governments and varied sections of society.
All party protest held in Mumbai's Andheri against farm laws| B L Soni
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole led a bike rally in Akola district in support of the Bharat Bandh| Twitter/@NANA_PATOLE
"It was on September 27th that President Shri Ram Nath Kovind assented to and brought into force the 3 anti-farmer black laws last year. Tomorrow, there will be a total Bharat Bandh observed around the country from 6 am to 4 pm," SKM said in an official statement.
It has been 10 months since thousands of farmers set up camp at Delhi's border points to voice their protest.
Massive traffic snarl seen at Gurugram-Delhi border as vehicles entering the national capital were being checked by Delhi Police and paramilitary jawans, in wake of Bharat Bandh | ANI
State governments of Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Punjab, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh have extended their support to the Bharat Bandh protest.
Many non-NDA parties have extended support to the nationwide 10-hour strike on Monday called by farmers protesting against the three agri laws under the aegis of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM).
Protesters in Punjab agitate against the three farm laws sit on railway tracks at Devidaspura village in Amritsar, in support of Bharat Bandh called by farmer organisations today.| ANI
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: Inspector Sanjeev Kumar told ANI| ANI
The Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Left parties and Swaraj India have also backed the Bandh call.
So far, left parties like the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, All India Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party and many other parties like Indian National Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular), Bahujan Samaj Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, SAD-Sanyukt, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Swaraj India and others have extended their support to the Bharat Bandh.
Left parties protest in front of Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada bus station to observe Bharat Bandh today against 3 farm laws | ANI
Meanwhile, the Centre has asked all state governments to ensure safety of the public property and maintenance of law and order
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been monitoring the situation and also was in touch with the state governments. They have been instructed to take strict action against the protesters or those who attempt to violate the public order, the officials said.
Roads in Kerala wear deserted look; shops are closed in Thiruvananthapuram. Trade unions affiliated to LDF and UDF support the call for Bharat Bandh today against the three farm laws.| ANI
They also said that adequate Central forces have been provided to the state administrations to prevent any untoward incidents and have been asked to intensify patrolling and deploy extra personnel at pickets at vulnerable points and public places like railway stations, bus terminus and airports as precautionary measures.
| Various organizations in Karnataka protest outside Kalaburagi Central bus station as farmer organisatons call for Bharat Bandh today against 3 farm laws | ANI
"Many organizations are supporting our farmers and participating in the nation-wide call for bandh," says protester K Neela| ANI
At a few places, train services have been disrupted as the protesters sat on the railway tracks but the local administrations have been trying to evict them from there to make rail traffic smooth, they added.
Barring these incidents of rail traffic disruptions in the northern states, no major incidents have been reported so far, the officials further said.
Protesting farmers, block the Shambhu border (Punjab-Haryana border) | ANI
According to the railway officials, services of over 20 trains have been disrupted under the northern railway while some states' transport departments have cancelled the bus services in wake of the strike call.
Farmers protest at Ghazipur border | ANI
The traffic movement has been closed from Uttar Pradesh towards Ghazipur due to protest.| ANI
The three laws -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 -- were passed by Parliament in September last year.
Delhi-Amritsar National Highway blocked at Shahabad in Haryana's Kurukshetra by protesting farmers, agitating against farm laws. | ANI
Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the 'mandi' and the MSP (minimum support price) procurement systems and leave cultivators at the mercy of big corporates. The government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced and asserted that these steps will help increase farmers' income.
