Several trains were cancelled, highways and major roads were blocked and thousands were left stranded for hours as the 10-hour nationwide shutdown disrupted life in parts of India, especially in the north.
The protest, where women took the lead a few months back, today saw no active female participation at the Ghazipur border.
Congress leader expressing support to the protesting farmers Rahul Gandhi Said that the non-violent ‘Satyagraha’ of the farmers still stands firm.
The SKM, in a statement, claimed that its call for bandh had received an “unprecedented and historic” response from over 23 states and not a single untoward incident was reported from anywhere.
Here’s how the shutdown had an impact on the country:
* The Bharat Bandh from 6 am to 4 pm, which saw several demonstrations and rallies, concluded relatively peacefully with no reports of injuries or serious clashes.
*The most impact was felt around Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, the epicenter of agricultural protests, and also in large areas of Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
* Protesters blocked highways and main roads and sat on tracks at many places since morning. The jam was lifted at 4 pm.
* Around 50 trains were affected by the Bharat Bandh, the Railways said.
* In Delhi, markets remained open and business activities remained largely unaffected, although the border areas saw massive traffic jams due to road blockades by protesters and security checks by police.
* Security was beefed up along the borders of Ghaziabad and Noida with Delhi, while traffic movement on some major routes was affected due to the morning shutdown.
* The bandh affected normal life in Punjab and Haryana as protesters blocked highways and sat on railway tracks at several places in the two northern states.
* Farmers blocked roads leading to the national capital, including Ghazipur in western Uttar Pradesh. Some farmers sat on the tracks in Sonepat, Haryana, a short distance away. In Punjab’s nearby Patiala also, members of BKU-Ugrahan sat on the tracks to register their protest.
* Complete shutdown was observed at many places including Moga in Punjab where farmers blocked national highways.
* In Haryana, highways were blocked in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kurukshetra.
* Demonstrations and rallies were held in Jammu district in support of Bharat Bandh.
The effect of the bandh was visible in many districts of the district. Rajasthan RajasthanFarmers took out rallies and held meetings on major roads, including agriculture-dominated Ganganagar and Hanumangarh, where major mandis and markets remained closed.
*Bandh failed to elicit any response in Arunachal Pradesh as all services including public transport, banks and commercial establishments were operating normally in the border state.
* Assam remained unaffected as public transport operated as usual, markets were open and normal attendance was recorded in offices. The opposition Congress, which supported the bandh, did not hold any protest in the state.
* Vehicular movement was disrupted in many parts of Jharkhand as supporters of the Bharat Bandh blocked roads and highways, and shops were closed in state capital Ranchi, while government offices and banks continued to function as usual.
* Highways, roads and railway tracks were blocked at several places across Bihar as the bandh in the state received a mixed response.
* Left activists blocked roads and rail tracks across West Bengal in support of the bandh, but normal life remained largely unaffected in the state where markets and shops opened as usual and public transport operated almost normally.
* Images from Kolkata show protesters flocking to a section of a railway track. Similar pictures also came from West Midnapore and Left Front supporters blocked the IIT Kharagpur-Hijri railway line.
* In Odisha, markets were closed and public transport was off the roads as normal life was affected due to the bandh, supporters of the bandh, including members of Congress and Left parties, staged dharnas at important junctions across the state amid rains.
* The bandh received a mixed response in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh as most shops and establishments remained open in major cities of the state.
* The bandh call in Madhya Pradesh did not have any major impact as day to day and business activities continued as usual in the state.
* Gujarat remained largely peaceful, though there were reports of highways being blocked for some time, affecting traffic, officials said.
* Commercial establishments and local transport were operating normally and normal life remained unaffected across Maharashtra, even as various non-BJP parties held demonstrations and bike rallies in parts of the state in support of the Bharat Bandh.
* In the coastal state of Goa, all services including public transport, banks, trains and commercial establishments operated normally as there was no response to the bandh.
* In Kerala, where the strike was supported by the ruling LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF, KSRTC bus services were closed with almost all trade unions in the state participating.
* Hospitals, medical stores, all emergency establishments including relief and rescue operations and essential services and those attending personal emergencies were exempted from the strike.
* The day-long bandh in Puducherry saw a mixed reaction as only government buses ply with fewer passengers on the roads and lower-than-normal student attendance in government schools.
* The ruling LDF and opposition UDF-backed strike disrupted daily life in Kerala due to the closure of shops and non-operation of public transport, but it was generally peaceful as private means of travel were unaffected, violence from Kozhikode A single incident of District.
* Farmer unions, trade unions, backed by the ruling DMK and the Left, staged protests across the country in support of the nationwide strike demanding repeal of the Centre’s agricultural laws. Tamil Nadu.
* Workers of political parties including Congress, Left parties and TDP staged protests at various places in Telangana in support of the bandh.
* The ‘Bharat Bandh’ had no significant impact on normal life in Karnataka in the initial few hours, with all businesses and establishments functioning normally and transport services were available.
* The bandh in Andhra Pradesh evoked a lukewarm response, despite the YSR Congress government backing it. Only in a few places like Tirupati, Anantapuramu and Kadapa did opposition parties protest against the agricultural laws.
* Several non-NDA parties supported the bandh. These include Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Left Party and Swaraj India. The YSR Congress government in Andhra Pradesh had also announced its support for the Bharat Bandh.
Three laws – the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Agricultural Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 – passed by Parliament in September last year it was done.
Farmer groups have alleged that the laws would put an end to the ‘mandi’ and MSP procurement system and leave farmers at the mercy of big corporates. The government dismissed these apprehensions as false and said that these steps will help in increasing the income of the farmers.
(with inputs from agencies)
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