Bharat bandh protest paralyzes Punjab |
Farmer groups in Punjab, that have led the struggle against the new farm laws of 2020, have once again brought the state to a near standstill. The latest Bharat Bandh has paralyzed rail and road traffic. Also, business establishments were shut in all towns hit by the Bandh. While the impact was less severe in Haryana, the western part of Uttar Pradesh saw some toll plazas being blocked and trains canceled due to protests on tracks. The bandh failed to have a big impact on the rest of the country, except in opposition-ruled states of Punjab, West Bengal and some places in Kerala. This Bharat bandh simply marks a year of the ongoing farmers` agitation in Punjab and 10 months on the borders of Delhi. The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said there were more than 500 locations where people gathered to express their support to the bandh in Punjab alone. Non-farmer associations and several l opposition political parties too extended their support. In Punjab`s Majha region districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot, farmers took to streets and laid barricades, parked tractor-trailers and other vehicles to block roads. There was no untoward incident. In Haryana, the bandh passed peacefully. The strikers claimed the bandh was successful. A senior government official claimed that there was no impact of bandh in seven districts while in the rest of 17, it had a partial impact only.
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