By Praveen Dwivedi

New Delhi, Sep 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) A 40-year-old farmer, a native of Ludhiana in Punjab who had been camping at Singhu border along with scores of other farmers protesting against the three new farm laws, has been missing since September 22.

Gurdeep Singh had been visiting and staying at the protest site at Singhu for the last several weeks. He left for Ludhiana at 12.30 p.m. on September 22 but never reached his home, the complaint filed on Monday at Kundli police station (copy available with IANS) said.

After failing to get any information about Gurdeep's whereabouts since he left Delhi a week ago, his uncle Shamsher Singh, who is also at Singhu, lodged the missing complaint at Kundli police station which falls under Sonepat district of Haryana and is very near the farmers' protest site.

In his complaint, Shamsher Singh has mentioned that Gurdeep is 'slightly mentally disturbed'. He had come to Singhu to join the protest with him (Shamsher Singh), but he left for home alone.

"He did not even reach the village. We spoke to several relatives and friends to know if he had visited any of them, but he did not. I suspect he has been kidnapped by someone. Subsequently, I decided to file a missing person complaint here at Kundli itself," Shamsher Singh told IANS.

Raghuveer Singh, a member of Ludhiana based Kirti Kisan Union, under whose leadership Gurdeep Singh and many other farmers came to join the protest at Delhi, said, "It was the third time Gurdeep came here (Singhu) and left for home in the last eight months. But this time, he did not reach home. Family members, relatives and we all are trying to find him but are unable to get any clue about his whereabouts."

Kundli police said they have launched a search operation in nearby areas and have also sent messages to Ludhiana police to trace Gurdeep Singh. "We have conducted a search operation in our jurisdiction. We are also in touch with Ludhiana police in this matter and we are hopeful that he will be traced as soon as possible," said the investigating officer of the case.

It has been over ten months since thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against the three farm bills passed last year.

On Monday on the Bharat Bandh day, a 55-year-old farmer died of cardiac arrest at Singhu. At the Singhu border, there were a large number of tractor-trolleys parked but there were relatively very few people. This is one of the places where farmers have been sitting on protest since November 2020.

Apart from Singhu, farmers are also protesting at two other borders of the national capital - Tikri and Ghazipur.

Source: IANS

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Chandigarh, Sep 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene immediately and invite farmers for talks without any preconditions to revoke the three agriculture laws.

Felicitating the farmers for the complete shutdown on Monday, Badal said this should show the government that the people of the entire country stood solidly behind the farmers.

He also urged the Prime Minister to convene a special session of Parliament to revoke the three laws that have led the country to the impasse.

The former Deputy Chief of Punjab reiterated his party's total support to the cause of farmers.

Source: IANS

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Bengaluru, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Bharat Bandh call given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha evoked a mixed response in Karnataka as daily life was not affected, with bus services operating and schools and colleges across the state functioning as usual on Monday.

Barring Kalburgi, life was normal in all north Karnataka districts though the protests and rallies were being taken out, while the protest did not evoke much response in coastal Karnataka, the bastion of the ruling BJP.

Districts such as Ramnagar, Mysuru, Hassan, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru, and Kolar where the JD-S has strongholds, did see protests, but normal life has not been affected.

Karnataka Police took hundreds of protestors, who tried to block roads and highways across the state, into custody, ensuring smooth flow of traffic.

In Bengaluru, the driver of a Range Rover vehicle was also taken into custody for injuring DCP, North, Dharmendra Kumar Meena.

The DCP's toes came under the wheel of the car and he suffered injuries on the leg in the incident near Goraguntepalya in Yeshwanthpur.

Meanwhile, traffic was thrown out of gear in Bengaluru as protestors took procession from three different directions and congregated near the Town Hall. From here, they took a massive rally towards the Mysuru Bank Circle.

The police arrested Sugarcane Growers Association President Kuruburu Shantakumar and his supporters early in the morning as soon as he gave a call to his followers to request shop owners close down their establishments.

The agitators brought a buffalo and a donkey along with them in the protest in Bengaluru and Dharwad. The police arrested 20 farmers for trying to block the national highway in Davanagere.

The protestors slept in front of shops with joined hands requested the shop owners to close their establishments and support the bandh. International travellers in Bengaluru reached the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) early in the morning to avoid any inconvenience due to the protest.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) To mark a year since three farm laws were passed by the union government and highlight their plight, hundreds and thousands of farmers observed Bharat Bandh (nationwide shutdown) at the Ghazipur border on Monday.

The peaceful demonstration that began with a halt in the traffic movement at the border picked up pace as the sun climbed up and temperature rose, and gradually dropped down to the same rate with vehicles back on Meerut Expressway.

With their flags held up high on tree branches and lathis, protesters in their trademark white and green kept on buzzing the National Highway-24 with their speeches, poems and interviews to the media persons.

Occasionally slogans like 'Modi Karega Mandi Band, Hum Karenge Bharat Bandh' would reach one's ears.

Set up with numerous camps, this protest site at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border had almost every facility a human colony needs. From morning snacks to lunch to 24X7 tea for everyone in and around the place. Protesters serving others called it 'seva', meaning selfless service - a term used in Sikhism.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) - an umbrella body of farmer unions, while announcing a complete shutdown had assured that no emergency services will be put to stop due to this bandh. Complying with this, barricades were removed to let at least three ambulances pass by from the otherwise blocked roads. Policemen could be seen visiting the langar camps at the site to grab a cup of tea, water or to simply take shelter from the sun.

Despite all this, a minor rift based on ideology and class amongst the different farmer unions like Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) could be felt after talking to the farmers on both sides.

By the evening, the blocked NH24 was opened to let the commuters pass by and farmers returned to the usual task they have been doing for the past 10 months at the Ghazipur border.

Source: IANS

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By Nivedita Khandekar

New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Amid conflicting claims about Monday's Bharat Bandh being successful or not, a question that comes up repeatedly is why is that the farmers' agitation, including the latest agitation, gets more response from northwest India compared to other parts?

Is it because the farmers in the states of Punjab, Haryana or western Uttar Pradesh are rich? Is it because they have large land holdings? Or there are more reasons than what meet the eyes?

Not the landholdings but it is the procurement under Minimum Support Price (MSP) that is the driving issue of the whole agitation and because farmers from Punjab, Haryana, parts of Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh benefit more from MSP, they are the most vocal, according to experts.

"Land holdings is a misleading issue, a deliberately brought in argument of rich or poor farmers. Official data shows that less than 0.4 per cent farmers have land which is more than 10 Ha. Means, all are small land holding farmers. What are we fighting about?" asks Devinder Sharma, an agriculture expert.

The latest dataset of National Statistical Survey (NSS) Organisation released earlier this month has showed that more than 70 per cent of the agriculture households in rural India possessed land less than or equal to 1.0 hectare (Ha) while in case of non-agricultural household, more than 90 per cent possessed land less than or equal to 0.40 Ha.

As many as 35.6 per cent agriculture households possessed land between 0.40 and 1 hectares (Ha), followed by 34.2 per cent who possess 0.01-0.40 Ha, 17.7 per cent who possess between 1.01-2.0 Ha and 0.6 per cent possessing less than 0.01 Ha, the 77th round of survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO) conducted during the period between January 1, 2019 till December 31, 2019 had shown.

On the other hand, 8.6 per cent agricultural households possessed 2.01-4.0 Ha land and 2.8 per cent held 4.01-10 Ha land. Barely 0.4 per cent agricultural households possessed land that was more than 10 Ha, it said.

The Agriculture Census of May 2015 data shows that the highest number of operational land holdings in India are in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. Lowest land holdings in India are in Chandigarh. However, in terms of operated area, the largest contribution comes from Rajasthan, followed by Maharashtra. Chandigarh constituted the lowest number of operational holdings as well as the operated area in the country in 2010-11.

Echoing the sentiment about landholding size, Madras Institute of Development Studies' (MIDS), Prof S Janakrajan, said: "Almost 80 per cent are small and marginal farmers in India and so in case of Punjab. The farmers in Punjab are facing big trouble, they are under huge debt, and they are the ones who have extracted large quantities of ground water. They have to survive."

"MSP for wheat is extremely necessary for these farmers because most of them are into subsistence farming. That makes a lot of difference for them. They have a huge fear that these three laws are going to take away the MSP, in which case, the markets, the cartels will fix the price which can be much lower than the MSP and their cost of production," Janakrajan said.

"It will not happen in this year or next year. It will happen 10 years down the line. Once the market comes in, farmers will become labourers, and entire production and marketing, everything will be determined by the market," he said.

Sharman stated that farmers from northwest India are closer to Delhi - the seat of power - can be one of the reasons, but more than that, "don't forget, only six per cent of the farmers get MSP and rest 94 per cent are dependent on market. These large number of farmers have never had the benefit of MSP cushion. And roughly 80 per cent of this six per cent are farmers from Punjab and Haryana. Obviously, they are going to be more vocal about this issue".

Citing Bihar as an example where the APMC Act was done away with in 2006 and now in 15 years, people from that state are going to Punjab as labourers, he said: "Point is that the farmers in Bihar are not getting the right price, because there is no APMC. Fifteen years is a good time to check how this has panned out."

The problem of MSP is more for wheat crop compared to any other and Punjab and Haryana are amongst the states from where largest wheat procurement under MSP happens. And therefore, unlike other states, it is the wheat producing states that will be affected more due to the new farm laws.

"There is 80 million tonnes of buffer stock of wheat and its prices are likely to fall (when market steps in), so the government needs to step in. This problem does not arise in case of other crops," Janakrajan said.

In case of commercial crops such as pepper and cotton, it is the market that determines everything. But in that case, the demand is more, supply is less. It is reverse in case of wheat. "Market forces are always unfavourable to foodgrains producing farmers," he added.

The MIDS professor rubbished the "middlemen that benefitted earlier will not benefit now" argument, saying that it is a cover up by the government. "Will middleman struggle for 300 days?"

Sharma said: "Whether you say northwest India or other parts, the message from the farmers (on Monday through the Bharat Bandh) is very clear. More than 50 per cent of the population is living in misery and these farmers are becoming the voice of these people."

Calculating Bandh success by what was closed and what was functional is incorrect, he said: "We look at everything only through the lens of living in sustainable manner. It doesn't matter if 95 out of 100 shops were closed or all of them were shut. After all they have conveyed the message, 'listen to our voices'."

However, Swadeshi Jagran Manch's Ashwani Mahajan claimed the Bandh was not successful even in the states of Haryana or Punjab largely but was restricted to small pockets of influence of these agitating farmers.

"This whole protest has become more of a political than farmers' issue what with even the Congress and AAP and other parties joining in."

Mahajan echoed Janakrajan and Sharma's point about larger protest from NW India owing to high procurement under MSP from these states but gave a 180-degree opposite reason. "They are worried that the MSP facility will be withdrawn under these farm laws. It is not possible. In fact, if we look at this year's data, there has been record procurement," he said.

Political parties did make contrary claims about the Bandh. Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said the Bandh will compel the Centre to listen to the voices of India's farmers; political activist and farm leader Yogender Yadav termed it as success and said farmers have given a befitting reply to the government's falsehood while the opposition parties such as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Left parties have claimed that the government will need to pay the price of this protest. On the other hand, the Bhartiya Janata Party has termed it as sheer political drama and said that the Bandh was ineffective.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Jai Kisan Andolan founder Yogendra Yadav on Monday said that today's Bharat Bandh evoked unprecedented response across the nation. Speaking to IANS, Yadav said that the day will prove a milestone in the history of the farmers movement. "Those demeaning the farmers agitation by calling it a movement of a few farmers have got a befitting reply today", added Yadav.

The day long Bharat Bandh was called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and other farmers unions to mark one year of the passing of the new farm laws. The bandh ended at 4 p.m. and traffic movement has resumed on all routes to the national capital which were blocked by the agitating farmers since morning. The bandh was called from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Talking to IANS, Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav said we have earned the support of farmers throughout the country. He added that our agitation is now reaching the far flung areas of India and all are supporting are protest against the new farm laws. Crossing regional barriers this movement has reached every corner of India and farmers have participated in the Bharat Bandh from all states and made it a success, Yadav said.

On being asked about a dialogue with the Centre, Yadav categorically said that a democracy is run by the people and this movement has turned into a peoples movement where all sections have active participation, we are hopeful that the government will listen to us.

Emphasising the Centre's lacklustre attitude, he said that before every such large scale action the agriculture minister said that the government is open to dialogue with the farmers unions but they never call us for talks. The minister should tell us the date and time when they want us to meet, said Yadav, adding that we don't have any invitation for talks from the government.

On the question of political parties' involvement in the protest, he said that we are thankful to those who supported us during the Bharat Bandh. But this protest doesn't belong to any political party and hence no political leader can use the Samyukta Kisan Morcha stage as the representative of the party.

However, despite the farmers' bandh, public transport remained operational in the national capital. DTC buses, Delhi Metro, auto-rickshaws and other modes of public and private transport ran smoothly in the capital city. Barring the four entry points to the city that were blocked by the farmers, all communications remained normal. The call for the bandh was supported by over 100 farmer unions, 15 trade unions, political parties and several state governments.

The farmers exempted emergency services, all essential services, medical emergency and rescue and relief work including personal emergency. The SKM had assured that the bandh will be enforced in a voluntary and peaceful manner. It ended peacefully without much visible impact.

Source: IANS

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Gandhinagar Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Bharat Bandh on Monday called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an organization of more than 40 farmers unions against the three central agricultural laws, had a mixed response from various parts of Gujarat. There were reports of highways being blocked briefly which affected traffic movement.

As declared by the SKM, the Bandh was from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., which received a mixed response in the state.

There was little or almost no impact of the Bandh in the urban pockets while at some places, the protests were held. In the financial capital Ahmedabad, there was no impact at all, except a few places where some vegetable vendors voluntarily supported the Bandh.

In Bharuch district, protests were held by the District Congress party, the farmers' organization and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Bharuch police detained many activists gathered at ABC Circle, while some were stopped by police before their Chakkajam call.

In Surat city, the call of Bandh was made by the United Kisan Morcha. According to sources, attempts of burning tires were made on Kadodora Road Highway. However, the police detained the protesters much before the protest.

Similarly in Surat district, the police detained several Congress and the Indian Farmers' Unions leaders, before they could block the national highway at Kamrej taluka. According to the police, about 25 people were detained and traffic movement was restored.

In Saurashtra's Upleta, demonstrations were held by the Upleta Kisan Sabha which raised slogans against the central government. They were also seen carrying placards.

The Bandh by the United Kisan Morcha received a partial response in the rural areas of Surendranagar. Traders and shopkeepers in the surrounding villages including Muli taluka, Sadly, Dudhai, Bhawanigarh, etc, closed their businesses and establishments.

A group of farmers in Surat's Olpad area were detained even before they could begin their protest. "The police detained all our members even before we could start our protest. The government machinery is being used to suppress our voice," a detained farmer said.

Source: IANS

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By Radhika Tiwari

New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The farmers' protest, where women had taken the lead a few months ago, witnessed no active female participation at Ghazipur border on Monday.

"Most of the women are looking after their home and farm lands while we (men) are here at Delhi," Dalbir Singh said.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had called a Bharat Bandh (nationwide shutdown) on Monday to mark a year since the three contentious farm laws were passed by the Centre in the parliament. "It was on September 27 that President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod to and brought into force the three anti-farmer black laws last year. Tomorrow, there will be a total Bharat Bandh observed around the country from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.," it said in a statement on Sunday.

A handful of women who were present at the demonstration site had come from the nearby areas of Trilokpuri and Kondli in east Delhi. "We come here at 10-11 in the morning to help prepare food and leave in the evening," Gurbachan, a woman in her 50s said, adding, "During our time here we help with the lunch and make arrangements for dinner."

"It is not that we work alone. We get plenty of help from men here," another woman -- a homemaker named Simrat -- said, adding, "Earlier more women used to come but now more restrictions have been imposed at the entrance so only a few are able to make it till here."

Ghazipur border has been closed from the side where farmers have set up their camps. People have to use a path in an abandoned field near the NH24 highway to reach the site.

Atul Tripathi, coordinator at the farmers' protest, cited safety and lack of facilities for women as the top reasons behind their absence. "Harsh weather condition is another factor," he added.

Mala Devi, member of All India Progressive Women's Association said, "Women come here when they are invited. On special occasions women are called from nearby regions and they stay throughout the programme. Like tomorrow is Bhagat Singh Jayanti so there is a possibility of more women being here."

She too, comes to the Ghazipur protest site in the morning and leaves by evening.

"We may see over 100-150 women here after the paddy is cultivated," a senior coordinator from Rampur added.

According to a 2018 Oxfam report, the agriculture sector employs 80 per cent of all economically active women in India, comprising 33 per cent of the agriculture labour force and 48 pc of the self-employed farmers.

Source: IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kerala is back to the "old normal" at a time when the whole world is moving towards a "new normal", as another hartal day was celebrated in the state, said technocrat G. Vijaya Raghavan here on Monday.

The Bharat Bandh observed in Kerala is near total as barring private vehicles, no public transport is in operation and shops, establishments, markets are all closed and that too it's on a day when the World Tourism Day is being celebrated.

Raghavan is the first CEO of the now fledgling Technopark -- the IT headquarters of the state, located in the state capital city and served as a member in the Kerala State Planning Board, besides being one of the most sought after personality, every time a new IT company set its sights to set shop in the state.

Known for his cryptic comments, Raghavan visibly upset on the total shutdown in the state, said he is not questioning the cause for which the hartal has been called or discussing the merits or demerits of the agitation.

"One thing that we will all notice is that across the country it is called a 'bandh' in Kerala it is 'hartal'. Across the country except for certain small pockets life is normal while in Kerala life is disrupted, in most places in Kerala people were forced to close their shops and establishments. Government run KSRTC stopped working, all exams were postponed," said Raghavan.

"When I checked with people around the country I was told that farmers are protesting but that has not affected other businesses or factories from functioning and except in areas where there are protest marches etc life is normal. In fact that is the case even in Punjab and Haryana," pointed out the technocrat.

He further said that the common man is the worst affected as they have no means to protect themselves and are forced to stay away from work and they get no wage and a day's income is lost.

"It is high time we change our methods of protest. A protest is successful and makes an impact only when it affects the person or group of persons against whom the protest is targeted at. What is happening in Kerala is we are proving to the world that, come what may, we will continue with our dated forms of protest without realising the damage that this is being inflicted to the state and the impact it will have on the biggest mission of the state to create new jobs," he said.

"One thing is sure Kerala is back to the 'old normal' while the whole world is moving towards a 'new normal'," added Raghavan.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The day long Bharat Bandh called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Monday to mark one year of the passing of the new farm laws and the farmers' agatation ended at 4 p.m. Traffic resumed on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway which was closed by the agitating farmers since morning. The Bharat Bandh was called by the farmers union from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Talking to IANS, Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said that we are hopeful that this government will listen to us after the nationwide Bharat Bandh. He said that all farmers across the nation have supported the bandh. It was supported by over 100 farmer unions, 15 trade unions, political parties and several state governments.

Farmers leader Yogendra Yadav said the bandh was successful across the nation. He said, 'Today's Bharat Bandh will prove a milestone in the history of farmers agitation. We have earned the support of farmers throughout the country." He added that the agitation is now reaching the far flung areas of India and all are supporting us against the new farm laws.

Despite the bandh, public transport was operational in the national capital. DTC buses, Delhi Metro, auto-rickshaws and other modes of public and private transport were running smoothly in the city. Barring the four entry points to the capital that were blocked by the farmers, all communications remained normal.

The farmers had exempted emergency services, all essential services, medical emergency and rescue and relief work including personal emergency from the bandh. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha had assured that the bandh will be enforced in a voluntary and peaceful manner.

Source: IANS

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Chandigarh, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The 10-hour nationwide shutdown on Monday on the call by farmers' unions to demand scrapping of three Central farm laws got enormous response in Punjab and Haryana where tens of thousands of farmers blocked major highways, including National Highway 1 linking Delhi.

Shops and other commercial establishments were closed in most towns as traders extended their support to the agitating farmers. They opened their establishments only after the shutdown was over.

However, there was no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the states. Emergency medical services were exempted from the blockade.

But traffic across Punjab and Haryana was hit badly for several hours as farmers, farm labourers, commission agents, trade and employee unions and activists of political parties squatted on national highways from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The protesting farmers parked their tractors on highways and major link roads in both Punjab and Haryana and squatted on the road.

Even an Indian Army convoy was halted for half an hour in Jalandhar town with farmers allowing it to move ahead after checking documents.

Heavy police presence was seen at various places in Haryana and Punjab to maintain law and order.

The police diverted traffic at several places as the farmers blocked the highways.

Hundreds of people had a harrowing time as buses, taxis and trains did not ply due to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)-called Bharat Bandh.

Commuters were left stranded at railway stations and bus stands in various towns and cities as public transport did not ply. People were forced to trudge with heavy luggage and office-goers too were hit hard.

State roadways, private buses and taxis were off the roads, causing misery to thousands of passengers.

Buses remained parked at bus stands or bus depots, and passengers were left stranded.

Auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws made a quick buck from people wanting to reach their destination on time.

Most of the roads across the two states, including in joint capital Chandigarh, wore a near-deserted look.

While most of the private schools were shut, the attendance at government offices was negligible.

"We have decided not to attend office owing to the closure of all major road links that started early in the morning," said Nisha Singh, a government employee, who daily commutes from her hometown Kharar to Chandigarh.

The worst affected places were Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Moga.

In neighbouring Haryana, there were reports of protesters blocking highways in Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kurukshetra districts.

The farmers are demanding the repeal of the three farm laws passed by Parliament last year and have expressed apprehension that they would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate houses.

The government has maintained that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the opposition parties of misleading farmers.

Source: IANS

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Mumbai, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Maharashtra witnessed a mixed response to the 10-hour-long Bharat Bandh called by Samyukta Kisan Morcha having support of all non-BJP parties, here on Monday.

While the SKM action elicited fair to good participation in the semi-rural and rural areas, the response ranged from dull to negligible in semi-urban or urban centres of the state but remained peaceful all over with tight police deployment.

Large number of farmers, labourers and political activists came out in huge numbers in districts like Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Nandurbar, Dhule, Pune, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Solapur and others, but in most urban centres like Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, life was near-normal.

The SKM leaders and organisers said that while the Bharat Bandh was total in Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Kerala and others states with a complete shutdown, it got extensive support in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

Farmers were supported in the nationwide agitation, trade unions, women, youth and students' organisations plus almost all major non-BJP parties across the country, with educational institutions, some government and private offices, wholesale or retail markets and other bodies remaining closed.

The SKM said that the Bharat Bandh passes off peacefully in Maharashtra and rest of India with no reports of any violence or untoward incidents, and the organisers appealed not to inconvenience the common public or disrupt essential supplies in any manner.

Top leaders like Balbir Singh Rajewal, Dr Darshan Pal, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, Hannan Mollah, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Shivkumar Sharma, Yudhvir Singh, Yogendra Yadav, Dr Ashok Dhawale, Dr Ajit Nawale and others led the agitation in different parts of the country.

Maharashtra's ruling alliance partners Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress leaders also came out in full support of the agitation in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and other cities.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) A farmer, who was protesting at the Singhu border against the three contentious farm laws, died due to cardiac arrest on Monday, the police said here.

The deceased farmer, identified as Baghel Ram, 55, was a resident of Khela village in Punjab and was a member of Kirti Kisan Union (KKU).

Another KKU member Raghuveer Singh said that Baghel Ram was not keeping well for some time and was taking rest in his tent.

The police said as soon as they received information about Baghel's death, they rushed to the spot and took him to a nearby hospital where the farmer was declared brought dead. After the post-mortem it was learnt that the farmer died due to heart attack.

Earlier there were reports of chaos due to farmer's death, but the police denied all such reports.

His death comes on a day of countrywide strike by farm unions.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a consortium of 100-odd farmers unions from across India, 15 trade unions and several political parties have jointly called a Bharat Bandh from 6 a.m. till 4 p.m. on Monday to mark the first anniversary of what they termed as a 'Black Day' when the President of India had given his assent to the three farm laws last year.

At the Singhu border, there were a large number of tractor trolleys parked but there were relatively very few people. This is one of the places where farmers have been sitting on protest since November 2020. Around two-and-a-half km long stretch of Delhi-Karnal highway (at Singhu village), where a large number of farmers was always seen during the last few months, on Monday bore an almost deserted look. Even the two stages erected for regular speeches and rallies were almost empty.

Jagdish Singh, a farmer from Ludhiana (Punjab) said, "Trolleys are vacant because people living in them have gone to block roads at Tikri and Delhi-Haryana border."

"By evening the situation will be different and more and more people will be here," Singh, who was busy preparing food for the protesters, told IANS.

People, who were at the Singhu protest site, were seen busy either preparing food or cleaning their tents.

Security at the outer premises of Singhu protest site has been strengthened with multiple teams of Delhi Police and Central forces deployed. People going towards Singhu from Delhi have to take a long circuitous way as the entry on the Delhi-Karnal Road (at Singhu village) has been prohibited.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Amid the Bharat Bandh, the Congress, which has extended its support to the agitating farmers, has said the Prime Minister should think about the problems being faced by the farmers, especially now when the input costs have increased, and not about the 'billionaire friends for whom the farm laws were brought.

Pawan Khera, while addressing a press conference on Monday said, "The government has tried to deligitimise the farmers and made all efforts to demean the farmers and every citizen should come out and support them."

The Congress alleged that 'the Prime Minister was using diversionary tactics in elections, and he doesn't have time to talk to farmers'.

Former Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda demanded that the government should talk to the farmers without any conditions.

Rahul Gandhi in a tweet in Hindi said, "The farmers non violent satyagraha is intact today but the exploitive government doesn't like this and that is why #Bharat is Bandh #IStandWithFarmers."

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted in Hindi, "Farm of the farmer, hard work of the farmer, crop of the farmer. However, the BJP government is eager to let its billionaire friends capture them. Take back the black laws."

Farmers on the call of Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Monday observed a shutdown. They blocked major highways, including National Highway 1 linking Delhi with parts of Haryana and Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and railway tracks in some states.

Source: IANS

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Noida, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Unlike several entry points into the national capital from adjoining states the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh Chilla border connecting with the Gautam Budh Nagar district did not face any traffic snarls due to the Bharat Bandh called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Monday.

The farmers bodies are protesting against the three contentious farm laws and marked one year of the union laws passed without favour from the farmer community.

According to the Noida Police, there were no traffic disrpution at the Chilla border or on the DND flyway.

The countrywide-strike will continue till 4 p.m., during which the SKM has said the government offices, educational institutes would be shut, however, the Noida city gave a negative response to the SKM's call.

"All government offices and educational institutes were functioning normally. Even all markets remained open," a Noida police official told IANS adding that public transport buses were also plying throughout the city.

The expressways, including the Yamuna Expressway, which connects Greater Noida to the interior districts of Uttar Pradesh like Mathura, Agra, Aligarh, Lucknow, remained open and traffic was moving without any hindrance, the official added.

Earlier the Noida traffic police though issued an advisory that the traffic movement was closed from UP's Ghaziabad to Delhi due to Bharat Bandh.

"The traffic going to Delhi from Ghaziabad district will be able to go to its destination via Gautam Budh Nagar district," the advisory read.

Source: IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Normal life in different parts of Odisha was affected on Monday due to the 10-hour-long Bharat Bandh.

In Odisha, Congress, Left parties and trade unions have supported the strike called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). Holding placards and banners, the agitators staged demonstrations at different places in capital city Bhubaneswar, besides Cuttack, Balasore, Rourkela, Khurda, Sambalpur, Bolangir and other districts in the State.

Educational institutions, private offices and shopping malls have remained closed while vehicular movement and train service have come to halt as protestors staged road blockade and Rail Roko in different places since morning. The train services resumed after a brief halt as protestors withdrew the Rail Roko.

Hundreds of vehicles, especially trucks, were stranded on the NH-16 due to the blockade. The bus services of the State-run Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) have also been suspended from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Private bus operation was also suspended for the strike.

However, emergency services continue to remain unaffected. The government offices, major public sector banks and offices of Central and State PSUs were seen operating normally.

During the observance of Bharat Bandh, an agitator snatched away the key of a 'Mo Bus' in Bhubaneswar. The bus was initially intercepted by a protester, who then took away the key of the vehicle by opening the door. Later, police intervened and the agitators returned the key.

Due to the strike, people were seen waiting for buses and taxis in the major bus stands and railway stations.

"We have come from Kolkata this morning and are waiting here for a bus to our home town. However, after reaching here, we came to know about the strike. Now, we have to wait till evening," said a lady passenger, waiting for a bus at Badambadi bus stand in Cuttack.

Claiming that the Bharat Bandh was successful, State Congress president Niranjan Patnaik said, "Demanding scrapping of three black farm laws, the farmers of the country have called for the Bandh and all opposition parties including Congress have supported it."

The Congress demanded withdrawal of the three farm laws, make provision of MSP in Act and stop selling out of the vital infrastructures and properties of the country, Patnaik said.

"We are observing the bandh demanding the repeal of the three black farm laws," said CPI leader Rama Krushna Panda.

The three laws -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act -- were passed by Parliament in September last year.

Source: IANS

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Guwahati/Agartala, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Bharat Bandh called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha against the three contentious farm laws evoked a partial response in the Northeastern states on Monday.

In Assam, a majority of the offices, both government and private, educational institutions, shops, commercial establishments in many of the 34 districts, including the main commercial hub Guwahati, remained open barring some business establishments.

However, normal life was crippled in southern Assam as government and private offices, shops and markets and all other institutions were shut responding to the country-wide shutdown call from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the afternoon. Vehicular movements were normal in all the districts, except four districts in southern Assam, even as buses were seen plying in lesser numbers in Guwahati and other parts of the BJP-ruled state.

The police arrested 20 Left members in front of the Cachar district Deputy Commissioner's office. However, a large section of traders and transport operators claimed that they were not aware of the shutdown call.

The officials said that air and train services across the Northeastern region were normal and no untoward incident was reported so far.

In Tripura, the shutdown was partial even as the Left parties, Congress and other organisations, who have supported the Bharat Bandh, did not organise any picketing. The five Left parties led by the CPI-M have campaigned for the past two weeks in support of the nationwide shutdown and its significance.

All Tripura Merchants' Association General Secretary Sujit Roy told IANS that thousands of their members have not participated in the strike.

In some sub-divisional areas many shops and markets were closed, but in most parts of Tripura life was normal, but presence in government offices, banks and educational institutions were little less.

According to the police there was a minor incident in south Tripura's Belonia where a CPI-M supporter was assaulted by the ruling party activists.

There is almost no response in the other Northeastern states, including Meghalaya and Manipur. The BJP, which opposed the Bharat Bandh, has been ruling in four of the eight Northeastern states -- Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh while its allies are governing in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) A group of farmers, who were protesting against three contentious farm laws on Monday in wake of the Bharat Bandh call given by Samyukt Kisan Morcha, were seen having their lunch in the middle of Western Peripheral Expressway, which is also known as Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway (Haryana).

The protesters came here and blocked the highway and most of them were carrying sticks and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) flags.

The vehicular movement was completely affected on both -- the KMP highway flyover and the Delhi-Karnal highway. The commuters from both sides were forced to take another route to reach their destinations. Due to this several goods carrying vehicles are now stuck up since morning and waiting for the road to open.

"I was heading from Delhi to Panipat. I can't make a judgement on what they (farmers) are doing but they should realise that people are getting affected due to the road block. What will happen if every now and then highways or normal roads are blocked," said Dhiraj Yadav, a truck driver who was waiting to get the road opened.

Many of the motorists tried to reason with the protesters to let them go as they have some urgent work, but the protesters with sticks in hands would surround the motorists and force them to go back.

"We were going towards Panipat to attend 'shradh' today, but we have been stuck here since 8 a.m. I requested them a lot to let us go but they refused," said Ramesh Kumar.

There were not more than 100 till 11 a.m., however, by afternoon the number of farmers increased. Local people from nearby villages also joined the protest.

The protest was being held to oppose three contentious farm laws enacted by the Centre last year.

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western parts of Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at three borders of the national capital since November last year and demanding a roll back.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Bharat Bandh called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and supported by the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu turned out to be a damp squib with the public not responding at all to the shutdown-call.

In urban centres of Tamil Nadu, like state capital Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Erode, Salem, Trichy, and other district capitals, there was no response to the bandh call. Vehicles, including state transport vehicles, autos, and taxis were plying as usual in Chennai and all other urban centres of Tamil Nadu.

In Kumbakonam, however, 30 Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers were arrested for blocking a train. Police arrested the CPM cadres and removed them.

In Guindy, Chennai, a group of people led by CPM Politburo member, Ramakrishnan conducted a protest march and a roadblock against the farm laws of the Government of India.

Ramakrishnan and the CPM cadres were arrested and removed by the police. In Chennai city also a group of CPM, CPI, and CPI-ML activists tried to block the road in support of the Bharat Bandh call of Samyuktha Kisan Morcha. Police arrested the cadres and removed them from the spot to ensure smooth traffic.

Police also removed some Left workers who were picketing the Mount road in support to the Bharat Bandh.

M. Pandyan a shop owner at TNagar in Chennai said, "I don't know why there is a Bandh and we don't generally shut our shops during any Bandhs except maybe a Bandh called over the water issue." He said that he was a DMK supporter but does not subscribe to the bandh call.

Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) cadres though were seen in large numbers protesting at various places of Chennai and Coimbatore.

K.S. Ashok Kumar, of Tambaram Chennai who is a daily wage worker and an MNM party cadre while speaking to IANS said, "We have protested in Tambaram, Mount Road, and Guindy in Chennai against the draconian farm laws. Police removed us."

DMK farmer wing general secretary, Periyasamy had made a fervent appeal to the people of Tamil Nadu to cooperate with the Bharat Bandh but it did not evoke any response.

Schools and colleges are also functioning normally in Tamil Nadu and there are no incidents of forced closure of shops or establishments in the state.

S. Sarangapani, Professor of Political science, in Erode, told IANS: "Tamil Nadu has traditionally not supported such bandhs except for bandhs called on Cauvery and issues that are directly impacting the lives of the people. Still, people are wise enough here not to shut shops and establishments and to bring life to a standstill. In a similar vein, the people of Tamil Nadu have cold-shouldered this bandh also."

Source: IANS

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Puducherry, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Bharat Bandh called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) against three farm laws evoked mixed response in Puducherry, which is ruled by the AINRC-BJP combine.

Shops and establishments were seen closed in Puducherry town in support of the nationwide shutdown call, but vehicles including state transport buses were seen conducting service in the city. Auto rickshaws and taxis also were seen operating in large numbers in the city and there was no direct feel of a shutdown.

Pandiarajan Duraimurugan, a trader at Puducherry who owns a grocery shop and a wholesale utensils shop while speaking to IANS said, "I have closed my shop in support of the Bharat Bandh called by the DMK and other opposition parties. The farm laws have to be repealed and the Government of India must not take a unilateral position on issues directly affecting the farmers of the country. We are an agrarian economy and the tears of the farmers will not go unrewarded."

Mahe, which is geographically in Kerala and a part of the Union Territory of Puducherry remained shut in support of the Bharat Bandh. Just like in Kerala, vehicles were not operating in Mahe. Even private vehicles were off the roads in this area.

Rajesh Kumar, a liquor shop employee of Mahe while speaking to IANS said, "We have shut the shop in support of the Bharat Bandh and this draconian farm law should go. The fight is against the anti-people policies of the Union government and we have chipped in by expressing solidarity to the fight against the farm laws unilaterally implemented by the Union government."

However in Karaikkal and Yanam, two other areas of Puducherry Union Territory, life was normal and shops and establishments were open. Vehicles, including state transport vehicles, taxis, and autos were seen plying on the roads.

Ali Subair, a trader from Karaikkal while speaking to IANS said, "Here we don't generally shut shops. I also did not shut shop even though I am strongly against the farm policies of the BJP government at the Centre."

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Centre has asked all state governments to ensure safety of the public property and maintenance of law and order in wake of the nationwide strike call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha for 10 hours which began at 6 a.m. on Monday.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Bharat Bandh call has been given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of many farm unions, against the three farm laws passed by Parliament in last September. This strike call has the support of the many opposition political parties, including the Congress, DMK, NCP, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and the Left parties.

Source: IANS

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Lucknow, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Barring districts along the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border, the impact of the Bharat Bandh call given by farmers bodies on Monday, saw little impact in central and eastern districts.

Normal life continued as all schools, commercial establishments and public transport functioned asusual.

In Lucknow, the vegetable markets on the outskirts like Bakshi Ka Talab, Dubagga and Gosainganj got off to a late start but then continued to do brisk business.

Chedi Lal, a vegetable wholesaler in Dubagga, said, "We were apprehensive in the morning but no one told us not to open the market and then we got going with the daily business."

He said that farmers around the state capital were mainly small farmers who still did not understand what the agitation was all about and what were the farm laws.

"Support kyon karenge jab kuchh maloom hi nahin hai (Why should I support when I have no idea)?" he asked.

In Prayagraj and Kanpur, life remained normal and the cities moved at normal pace. Traffic on the highway moved normally.

A senior official of the home department said that blockades had been set up by farmers only in districts along the UP-Delhi border and there were no reports of any impact of the Bharat Bandh call from anywhere else in the state.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Over two dozen trains were halted at various locations in Punjab and Haryana and road traffic towards Delhi was affected massively due to the Bharat Bandh call by farmers' unions on Monday even as Delhi remained relatively undisturbed with almost normal road and metro traffic.

Work wise, offices, both private and government, remained functional, and even schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, and colleges were working according to the recent routine post-lockdown. Even all markets, big and small, remained functional across Delhi-NCR. Commuter movement remained unaffected as people freely used their own vehicles or auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws and DTC buses.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a consortium of 100-odd farmers' unions from across India, 15 trade unions and several political parties have jointly called a Bharat Bandh from 6 a.m. till 4 p.m. on Monday to mark the first anniversary of what they termed as a 'Black Day' when the President of India had given his assent to the three farm laws last year.

Within the city, Delhi Traffic Police had closed both carriageways across the iconic Red Fort since morning. The move came in wake of the turnout of events on January 26 when thousands of farmer protesters had barged across the security cordon, caused a lot of damage and planted two flags at the place where Indian Tricolour is hoisted on the Independence Day.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has shut down the Pandit Shree Ram metro station that is close to the Tikri border in western Delhi. However, at other places, the metro is functional without any delay.

Secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Praveen Khandelwal said, "All markets remained open not just in Delhi-NCR but across India. We are constantly in touch with our representatives everywhere. Things are normal."

Situation at Delhi borders

The traffic turnout at Ghazipur border was normal till 8 a.m. while that from Uttar Pradesh towards the border was stopped except for police vehicles and ambulances. Farmers could be seen in large numbers sitting on the road and raising slogans against the farm laws.

This is the place where farmers' leader Prakash Tikait and others have camped for the last ten months.

At the Tikri border, farmers have almost captured the Bahadurgarh Railway station and are squatting on the railway line. However, road traffic and life outside the railway station was normal, shops were open, people were moving around freely using two-wheelers and four-wheelers too.

While the security enforcement was strict at the metro station near the Tikri border, there was no disruption in metro rail services from that station.

The Loni border connecting the Baghpat Highway remained open to traffic with all entry and exit points at the Loni border witnessing no traffic disruption. However, security forces have been deployed at the border area in wake of the Bharat Bandh.

Local people told IANS, "There is no impact of Bharat Bandh in this area. The smooth traffic movement of daily commuters runs normal at the Delhi Loni Border. Market here will remain open as they can't come here in this area."

A shopkeeper also said that if farmers anyhow try to enter into Delhi via this route, the security forces will obstruct them at Khajuri DLF toll.

At the Singhu border, there were a large number of tractor trolleys parked but there were relatively very few people. This is one of the places where farmers have been sitting on protest since November 2020.

Around two and half km long stretch of Delhi-Karnal highway (at Singhu village), where a large number of farmers have always been seen during the last few months, on Monday bore an almost deserted look. Even the two stages erected for regular speeches and rallies were almost empty.

Jagdish Singh, a farmer from Ludhiana (Punjab) said, "Trolleys are vacant because people living in them have gone to block roads at Tikri and Delhi-Haryana border."

"By evening the situation will be different and more and more people will be here," Singh, who was busy preparing food for the protesters, told IANS.

People, who were at the Singhu protest site, were seen busy either preparing food or cleaning outside their tents.

Security at the outer premises of Singhu protest site has been strengthened with multiple teams of Delhi Police and Central forces deployed. People going towards Singhu from Delhi have to take a long circuitous way as entry on the Delhi-Karnal Road (at Singhu village) has been prohibited.

The commuters on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway had to face a huge traffic congestion as the Delhi Police had put barriers at the Delhi-Gurugram border to keep a vigil on the farmers entering the national capital.

A heavy presence of security personnel was seen at the border. Apart from the central forces, the Delhi Police and the Gurugram Police personnel had barricaded the border. Due to this only two lanes from Jaipur towards Delhi were opened for commuters entering Delhi. The traffic movement on the National Highway-48 was slow and the vehicles were moving bumper to bumper.

Disruption in rail traffic towards Delhi

More than 20 locations are being blocked in Delhi-Ambala-Firozpur division and about 25 trains were affected due to the farmers sitting at the railway stations and railway lines.

The farmers were squatting at the Dera Bassi railway station on the Delhi-Chandigarh railway line, at Hisar-Delhi railway line and the Fatehgarh railway station in Charkhi Dadri area too.

"About 25 trains of the Northern Railways have been affected due to the farmers' Bharat Bandh. These are all on the Delhi-Ambala-Bhatinda main railway line," said Northern Railway's chief public relations officer Deepak Kumar.

Trains starting from Delhi, New Delhi stations, including Shan-e-Punjab, New Delhi - Moga, Delhi-Pathankot, Vande Bharat Express towards Katra, and two Shatabdi trains, were cancelled among others.

Not entering Delhi: farmers' union

Media Coordinator of Swaraj Abhiyan, which is also a part of this farmers' consortium, Ashutosh agreed that all action was happening outside Delhi. Farmers from Delhi rural are protesting in their own areas but their protests won't spill over to urban areas.

"We don't plan to enter Delhi as of now. Farmers are not being allowed to enter Delhi and we are not even demanding anything new. So, there is no point in entering Delhi right now. Whenever we do, we will inform the government and enter," Ashutosh, told IANS.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha had assured that the Bharat Bandh will be enforced in a voluntary and peaceful manner.

"So far, all the protests at Delhi borders have been peaceful and no untoward incident has been reported from anywhere," Delhi police sources said.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, who has been leading the farmers' protest in the outskirts of the national capital for the past 10 months, said that he is certain that Monday's Bharat Bandh will compel the Centre to listen to the voices of farmers.

Speaking with IANS, Tikait said, "We are hopeful that this time (Bharat Bandh) the government will listen to our demands."

Denying that farmers only from western Uttar Pradesh were participating in the protest, therefore, the farmers' protest will not be an issue in the 2022 Assembly elections, he said, "Farmers from all over India are with us", adding that this movement was not just restricted to any one region.

Tikait further said, "No matter how long we have to stretch this protest, we will not step back."

Farmers mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting against the three contentious farm laws introduced by the Centre almost a year ago. Having borne the harsh cold, sultry heat, heavy rainfall, farmers, who have been camping outside of Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders, are ready to stay as long as it is needed. "Ruk jayenge 10 mahine aur (will stay for 10 more months)," said Tikait.

This is the third Bharat Bandh since the three agricultural laws were passed by Parliament.

He also said that the success of Bharat Bandh depends on the media as well. "If they'll cover it properly and show everything that has been happening on the ground then this Bharat Bandh will be a success, otherwise not," Tikait said.

"As far as the government is concerned, they will say whatever suits their narrative and benefits them the most," the farmer union leader said.

He further said that he did not think that this Bharat Bandh will affect people's daily life, "People are disturbed with the rising inflation and prices of petrol and diesel. That is bothering them the most. This one-day deal is nothing in comparison to what problems the masses have been facing in their daily lives."

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Anil Chaudhary visited the protest site at Ghazipur border to show solidarity with the farmers. He and Rakesh Tikait had a small talk over snacks.

Source: IANS

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Chandigarh, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Hundreds of people across Punjab and Haryana on Monday faced a harrowing time as buses, taxis and rails did not ply due to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)-called Bharat Bandh.

Commuters were left stranded at railway stations and bus stands in various towns and cities of both the states as public transport was stranded. People were forced to trudge with heavy luggage and office-goers too were hit hard.

State roadways, private buses and taxis did not ply, causing misery to thousands of passengers.

Buses remained parked at bus stands or bus depots, and passengers were left stranded.

Auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws made a fast buck from people wanting to reach their destination on time.

Most of the roads across the states, including in joint capital Chandigarh, wore a near-deserted look.

While most of the private schools were shut, the attendance at government offices was negligible.

"We have decided not to attend the office owing to the closure of all major road links that started early in the morning," said Nisha Singh, a government employee, who daily commutes from her hometown Kharar to Chandigarh.

The worst affected places were Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Moga.

In neighbouring Haryana, there were reports of protesters blocking highways in Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kurukshetra districts.

"Today I had to reach Delhi for some urgent work. The strike affects the common man," said Parkash Singh, a commuter from Karnal in Haryana.

Over 13 lakh people travel daily in nearly 4,200 Haryana Roadways buses, including luxury Volvo buses, on intra- and inter-state routes.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday appealed to the Central government to repeal the three farm legislations, but he asked farmers to raise their voice in a peaceful manner.

"#IStandWithFarmers & appeal the Union Govt. to repeal the three anti-farmer laws," the Chief Minister tweeted.

"Our farmers have been struggling for their rights since more than a year & it is high time that their voice is heard. I request the farmers to raise their voice in a peaceful manner."

Punjab Congress President Navjot Sidhu said: "The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee firmly stands by farmer unionsIn the war of right and wrong you cannot afford to be neutral. We urge every Congress worker to fight with all their might against the three unconstitutional black laws."

Source: IANS

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Patna, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)-called Bharat Bandh on Monday witnessed traffic disruptions at several places in Bihar as the opposition parties actively lent their support. Rail traffic was also stopped in Darbhanga by the protesters.

The farmers' nationwide protest call has got support from opposition parties in the state. Several opposition leaders and their supporters came on to the roads and disrupted traffic movement in a bid to make the shutdown successful.

The opposition leaders also added issues like caste-based census, unemployment, scams, price rise in petroleum products and commodities in this Bandh.

Supporters of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Left parties spilled over the roads from the morning hours. Patna, Darbhanga, Arwal, Arrah, Aurangabad, Jahanabad, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur and some other districts witnessed protests.

The supporters of the RJD burnt tyres on both the ends of Mahatma Gandhi Setu connecting Patna and Hajipur. Due to this, trucks, buses and other vehicles were stuck on both sides resulting in huge traffic built up.

In Darbhanga, the RJD and Congress supporters stopped the New Delhi-Jaynagar Bihar Sampark Kranti Express train.

In Nawada, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh Samiti supporters blocked the Patna-Ranchi main road and disrupted the traffic.

In Arrah, the CPI-ML supporters blocked National Highway (NH)30 at Arrah bus stand. It has severely affected the traffic movement on the busy Patna-Arrah main road route.

In Gaya, the traffic movement got severely affected on the Gaya-Bodh Gaya-Dobhi and Dobhi-Chatra main roads and partially affected the NH 19 that is connecting New Delhi and Kolkata.

In Sheikhpura, the supporters of Mahagathbandhan were involved in forcibly closing the shops.

MLA Sudama Prasad, who took to the streets in Ara, said that inflation was sky high, which was the effect of the three agricultural laws. He said that food insecurity would be created if farming went into the hands of industrialists through the farmers' laws. He said the people have taken to the streets against this.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The visibility of farmers at the Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana), where they have been sitting in protest since November 26 last year, was very low on Monday.

Around two and half km long stretch of the Delhi-Karnal highway (at Singhu village) where a large number of farmers used to be seen, but on Monday, the Bharat Bandh day, the numbers were less. The road, in fact, was almost empty.

Tractor-trolleys that had become homes for the protesting farmers for over eight months are at the place but the number of people seems to have gone down.

Also, the stages at Singhu (one towards the Delhi side and another towards the Haryana side) were almost empty.

Jagdish Singh, a farmer from Ludhiana (Punjab), said the trolleys were vacant because people went to block roads at Tikri and Delhi-Haryana border.

"At present very few people are visible here because they are at Delhi-Haryana road and at Tikri. By evening the situation will be different and more and more people will be seen here, Jagdish Singh said, who was busy preparing food for the protesters.

The few, who were at the Singhu protest site, were seen busy either preparing food or cleaning their tents.

Some of them attended the morning prayer held at the stages.

The security at outer premises of the Singhu protest site have been strengthened with multiple teams of the Delhi Police and central forces deployed.

Three police barricades put up after January 26, this (towards Delhi) were continued to be at the places. People going towards Singhu from Delhi have to take a long route as entry on the Delhi-Karnal road (at Singhu village) has been prohibited.

"More security personnel have been deployed here today because of farmers' call for Bharat Bandh. Not only here (Singhu), but the security at all borders of Delhi was strengthened soon after the call for the shutdown was announced," said a Delhi Police personnel deployed at Singhu border.

Source: IANS

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Vijayawada/Hyderabad, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The day-long Bharat Bandh called by Samyukta Kisan Morcha evoked contrasting response in the two Telugu states on Monday.

While normal life was affected in Andhra Pradesh with the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) supporting the shutdown call, the bandh had partial impact in Telangana where ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) distanced itself from the protest.

Government offices in Andhra Pradesh remained closed and buses of state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) went off roads. Shops were also closed in parts of the state in response to the bandh call demanding the repeal of new agricultural laws.

APSRTC has announced that bus will not ply till afternoon. The government offices will also reopen in the afternoon.

Leaders and workers of non-BJP parties, trade unions and people's organizations staged protests across Andhra Pradesh in support of the demand of farmers. They organised rail rook, road blockade and took out rallies protesting the anti-people policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre.

APSRTC buses were confined to depots in all 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Workers of various parties supporting the bandh staged sit-in in front of bus depots since early morning.

The bandh impact was also seen in Paderu agency area of Visakhapatnam district. Employees of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant also participated in the strike demanding the central government to drop its plans to privatise the public sector undertaking.

There was mild tension at Tirupati railway station as the protestors squatted on the tracks. Holding flags of their respective organizations, the protestors reached the railway station for rail rook. Police arrested them.

Despite rains, leaders and workers belonging to CPI, CPI-M, Congress, CPI (ML) New Democracy and other parties staged the protest in Amaravati. Workers of main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also hit roads at various places in the state to participate in the protests.

The Bandh call evoked only a partial response. With TRS staying away from bandh, there was not much impact on normal life. Though a section of TSRTC employees supported the shutdown call, the transport body operated normal services.

Leaders of Congress, Left parties and other groups staged road blockades at various places in the state. Raising slogans against the Centre's policies and hike in petrol and diesel prices, the protestors took out rallies and staged dharnas.

Congress legislators were detained by the police when they tried to reach Telangana Assembly on a horse carriage to lodge their protest over steep hike in fuel prices. Police stopped them, leading to an argument. The police later detained Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and legislators Sreedhar Babu, Jeevan Reddy and others.

Leaders of Left parties, Congress and others were participating in road blockade at Uppal crossroads in Hyderabad.

At Hayatnagar bus depot on Hyderabad outskirts , Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) leader Kodandaram led the protest. Police arrested him and other protestors.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Bharat Bandh called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Monday to protest against the three farm laws, seemed to have no effect at the Loni border (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh) connecting the Baghpat (Haryana) Highway.

The border point and the highway remained open to all.

The entry and exit point of the national capital at the Loni border had no traffic disruption and saw a heavy traffic movement coming from adjacent state, Uttar Pradesh. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)-called Bharat Bandh on Monday had no impact on the traffic and market at this entry point of the city.

However, the security forces have been deployed at the border area in wake of farmers' call for shutdown as they may try to enter the city from this point.

Meanwhile, the locals said that there was no impact of the Bharat Bandh in the area. The traffic movement of daily commuters was normal at the Delhi-Loni Border. Locals said that the market here would remain open. A shopkeeper said that if farmers anyhow try to enter into the city via this route, security forces will obstruct them at Khajuri DLF toll.

Despite the farmers' call for Bharat Bandh, the public transport was operational in the national capital. The DTC buses, Delhi Metro, auto rickshaws and other modes of public and private transports were running smoothly in the capital city.

The farmers' union call to Bharat Bandh has been supported by over several farmer unions, trade unions, political parties and the several state governments. However, the farmers have exempted the emergency services, all essential services, medical emergency and rescue and relief works, including personal emergency. The shutdown began at 6 a.m. and will continue till 4 p.m. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has assured that the Bharat Bandh will be enforced in a voluntary and peaceful manner.

Source: IANS

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Gurugram, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Amid the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)-called Bharat Bandh on Monday, commuters on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway had to face a huge traffic congestion as the Delhi Police had put barriers at the border to keep a vigil on the farmers entering the national capital.

A heavy presence of security personnel was seen at the Delhi-Gurugram border.

Apart from the central forces, the Delhi Police and the Gurugram Police personnel have barricaded the border. Due to this only two lanes from Jaipur towards Delhi were opened for commuters entering Delhi. The traffic movement on the National Highway-48 was slow and the vehicles were moving bumper to bumper.

The officials of the Gurugram traffic control room said that the traffic movement on the expressway was slow due to the barricades erected by the Delhi Police on the Delhi-Gurugram border and near the Rajokri flyover.

"We have made all arrangements to tackle the protest call given by farmer organisations.

"Police will keep updating people about the traffic situation in Gurugram through the official social media handles," said Subhash Boken, spokesperson of the Gurugram Police, adding that while regular traffic can pass, checks are likely to slow it down or lead to jams. More than 1,000 police forces including senior officers have been deployed at all border points," he said.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) To mark a year of the Centre's passed three contentious farm laws, hundreds of farmers on Monday blocked the Ghazipur border to protest and seek repeal of the laws as they joined the Bharat Bandh call given by farmers bodies to bring attention to their plight.

Most of the protesters IANS spoke to have been sitting at Ghazipur -- the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border -- for the last 10 months.

Suba Singh, 52, from Meerut said: "Along with other farmers, I have been sitting here and we will not budge until these three laws by the Modi government are taken back."

Another farmer, Kishan Pal, a resident of Mainpuri in Uttar Pardesh said: "Today, farmers, labourers and traders in India are suffering. We have all been cheated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the kind of laws he is being coming up with."

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha in a statement on Sunday said, "It was on September 27 that President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod to and brought into force the three anti-farmer black laws last year. Tomorrow, there will be a total Bharat Bandh observed around the country from 6 am to 4 pm."

The farm leaders have appealed all Indians to join the shutdown and have called for a peaceful strike.

In wake of the 'Bharat Bandh', Delhi Traffic Police have announced that vehicular movement from Uttar Pradesh towards the state's Ghazipur border with the national capital has been stopped. "Traffic movement has been closed from UP towards Ghazipur due to protest," it tweeted.

Along with Ghazipur border, farmers have been sitting at Haryana's Singhu and Tikri border since November 26. 2020, in protest against the three agriculture laws.

Source: IANS

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Chandigarh, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Retreating his Congress government commitment with the protesting farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday appealed to the Central government to repeal the three farm legislations. But he asked farmers to raise their voice in a peaceful manner.

"#IStandWithFarmers & appeal the Union Govt. to repeal the three anti-farmer laws," the Chief Minister tweeted.

"Our farmers have been struggling for their rights since more than a year & it is high time that their voice is heard. I request the farmers to raise their voice in a peaceful manner."

Punjab Congress president Navjot Sidhu said, "The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee firmly stands by farmer unionsIn the war of right and wrong you cannot afford to be neutral. We urge every Congress worker to fight with all their might against the three unconstitutional black laws."

Hundreds of farmers on Monday blocked major highways, including National Highway 1 linking Delhi with parts of Haryana and Punjab, and railway tracks following a nationwide call by farmers' unions.

Traffic across Punjab and Haryana was hit badly and saw traffic disruptions as farmers, farm labourers, commission agents, shopkeepers, trade and employee unions and activists of political parties squatted on national highways till 4 p.m.

The protesting farmers parked their tractors on highways and major link roads in both Punjab and Haryana and squatted on the road.

Heavy police presence could be seen at various places in Haryana and Punjab to maintain law and other in view of the protest by farmers.

The police diverted traffic at several places as the farmers blocked the highways.

However, there was no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the states. Emergency medical services were exempted from the blockade.

In view of the 'Bharat Bandh', Haryana Police has issued an advisory stating that people may face traffic blockages in the state.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of over 32 farmer unions, announced to observe the protest.

The agitated farmers are demanding the repeal of the three farm laws passed by Parliament last year and have expressed apprehension that they would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate houses.

The government has maintained that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the opposition parties of misleading farmers.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)-called Bharat Bandh on Monday marked the first anniversary of the three contentious farm laws passed a year back and saw traffic come to a standstill across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi as major highways were blocked by protesting farmers.

Heavy police presence at various places in Haryana and Punjab was seen to maintain law and other in view of the shutdown-call by farmers, who parked their tractors on highways and major link roads in both the states and squatted on the road.

The Delhi-Amritsar national highway remained blocked at Shahabad in Kurukshetra, Haryana while traffic movement from Uttar Pradesh towards Ghazipur was closed. Down south, the ruling Left and opposition Congress gave full support to the shutdown and thestate saw a near total lockdown.

Like every time, this time too, the SKM has said that the bandh will be peaceful and has urged all to support the shutdown. On behalf of 40 farmers' organisations led by the SKM, Bharat Bandh will be observed from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, according to the farmers, all the necessary services will be fully operational during this time.

"On September 27 last year, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod to the three anti-farmer black laws," SKM said in a statement.

Several political parties have given their support to the striking farmers. The CPI (M), CPI, Forward Bloc, Samajwadi Party, CPI (Liberation), CPI (M) New Democracy, SUCI (C), MCPI (U), Congress, AAP, TDP, Janata Dal Secular, BSP, Nationalist Congress Party, DMK, YSRCP, JMM, RJD, and the Swaraj India Party.

According to the SKM, Bharat Bandh includes trade unions, employees and student unions, women's organisations and unions of transporters.

Security has been beefed up at Delhi's borders where the farmers have been protesting for over 10 months. A large number of Delhi Police personnel were seen at various places in the national capital since morning. Police in a dozen states have also been placed on alert.

In Ghaziabad, the police has ordered to divert routes on several main roads and intersections, including the peripheral, Hapur Chungi, UP Gate and Ghazipur Border.

People travelling across the Delhi borders may face inconvenience. Apart from this, the working in schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions and services of some banks might get affected.

Farmers have already made it clear that no government or non-government public programmes will be allowed during the shutdown period.

According to SKM's statement, the Bharat Bandh will be completely peaceful. Central and state government offices, markets, shops, factories, schools, colleges and other educational institutions will not be allowed to operate during the Bharat Bandh. Public and private transport will also not be allowed, said the SKM.

However, emergency services like ambulances, fire services, drug stores and medical-related services, including hospitals will be allowed to operate.

At the same time, students going for exams or interviews will not be stopped. Emergency services attached to the Covid-19 pandemic will also not be disrupted, the SKM has said.

It has been over 10 months of farmers' protest on the borders of Delhi. Farmer representatives have had 11 rounds of unsuccessful talks with the government, that faced roadblock following the January 26 violent incident at the Red Fort.

Source: IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) After the ruling Left and the Opposition Congress joined hands to support the agitating farmers, Kerala is seeing a total shutdown on Monday morning.

Markets, shops, establishments and offices are closed and so are all the public vehicles. Baring private vehicles, everything in the state has come to a complete standstill.

After the support from the political parties, the civil society has also lent its support to the agitating farmers. The result of this was that people have preferred to remain indoors. Incidentally, on account of the state and the country observing Covid protocols for the past 18 months, Monday's protest is the first political shutdown that Kerala is witnessing.

However, like on any shutdown day, the ISRO units are all functioning and its employees are being taken to the respective units in the state capital in their buses with armed security.

All university examinations scheduled for Monday have been postponed.

However, criticism has also come as Kerala deciding to observe the shutdown comes on World Tourism Day, when the entire state and tourism activities are closed.

Source: IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Both the ruling Left and the opposition Congress came out together in Kerala to support the agitating farmers on Monday as the southern state witnessed a near total lockdown.

Markets, shops, establishments and offices were closed and all the public vehicles, barring private vehicles, were not seen off the road moving. "Everything in the state has come to a complete standstill," said a member of the civil society.

In Kerala, the biggest advantage is any political party calling a state-wide protest gets a thumps up from the civil society and people remain indoors.

On account of the state and the entire country coming under lockdown due to Covid protocols for almost past 18 months, Monday's protest is the first political shutdown that Kerala is witnessing.

However, like on any 'bandh' day, the ISRO units were all functioning and its employees were taken to the respective units in the state capital on their buses amid armed security.

All university examinations scheduled for Monday have been postponed.

The only deterrent for Monday's shutdown is that it has come on World Tourism Day, when the entire state and tourism activities will also be closed, just when it was trying to revive.

Source: IANS

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