Agitating farmer groups on Thursday held a four-hour nationwide 'rail roko' agitation with the railways saying there was negligible impact on services though some trains were stopped by officials at stations as a precautionary measure. In Punjab and Haryana, farmers at several places squatted on railway tracks which led to disruption in normal movement of trains on some routes.
Protests were also staged at some places in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
However, in many states, it was a low-key affair. The All India Kisan Sabha claimed the agitation received "massive response across the country". It further claimed that some activists were arrested in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana.
8:02 PM
Farmers' 'Rail roko' protest in Uttar Pradesh peaceful
The 'rail roko' (rail blockade) call by farmer unions protesting the Centre's three agriculture laws on Thursday remained peaceful and did not have much impact in Uttar Pradesh with farmers organising token protests near railway tracks and stations in the state.
Farmers protested in Chitrakoot, Hamipur, Mahoba, Lalitpur, Fatehpur, Amethi and other districts of the state, demanding the repeal of the three contentious laws.
In Banda, farmers squatted on a railway track for some time and left after giving a memorandum addressed to the President regarding their demands, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mahendra Pratap Singh Chauhan said. In Chitrakoot, 100 famers were detained while they tried to stop the rail movement, ASP Shailendra Kumar Rai said.
7:14 PM
Be ready to sacrifice your standing crop: Rakesh Tikait to farmers
Asserting that they won't return home till the farm laws are repealed, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said farmers should be ready to sacrifice their standing crop for it. Tikait said the government should not be under the impression that the movement against the laws will end as farmers will go to their villages to harvest their crop.
Even if you have to set your standing crop on fire, you should be prepared for it. The government should not harbour this impression that farmers will return home. We will harvest crops and continue our agitation at the same time, he said addressing a "mahapanchayat" at Kharak Poonia village of Hisar.
"There will be no 'ghar wapsi' till then," he said. Tikait also asked farmers to be ready for the next call of the unions spearheading the stir.
6:31 PM
Farmers block tracks but protests remain peaceful in Punjab, Haryana
Farmers protesting against the Centre's new agriculture laws blocked railway lines at most places in Punjab and Haryana in response to the call given by the farmers' unions for a nationwide 'rail roko' on Thursday. Though the four-hour blockades ended peacefully, the commuters faced a harrowing time, PTI reported.
Carrying the national flag along with their union flags, the protesters, comprising women, elders and children, started assembling along the railway lines and began squatting on the tracks well ahead of the start of the protest at 12 noon.
Heavy police deployment was in place in Haryana and Punjab to deal with any untoward incident. At several protest sites, special arrangements were made for holding 'langars' or community kitchens. Farmers protesting against the legislations have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the 'mercy' of big corporate entities.
6:11 PM
Puducherry LG orders floor test in the legislative assembly on February 22 by 5 pm
Puducherry LG orders floor test in the legislative assembly on February 22 by 5 pm
6:10 PM
Farmers stir: Delhi Metro shuts entry, exit at Tikri, three other stations
Entry and exit at four metro stations, including at Tikri Border, one of the epicentres of the farmers' agitation, were shut on Thursday by DMRC authorities in view of the security situation. The Tikri Border metro station is just near the farmers' protest site.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation tweeted on Thursday to inform the closure of entry and exit at these four stations.
The Delhi Police on Thursday tightened security in several parts of the national capital, especially near railway tracks, in view of the "rail roko" (rail blockade) called by the farmer groups protesting against the Centre's new agri laws, officials said.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions spearheading the protest, last week had announced the rail blockade to press for its demand of repealing the legislations. READ ON...
5:49 PM
Uttarkhand disaster death toll crosses 60
Two more bodies were recovered on Thursday from a tunnel of the NTPC's flood-ravaged Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and one from Raini as rescue operations continued for the 12th day to reach workers feared trapped inside after a flash flood in Uttarkhand's Chamoli district.
The confirmed death toll in the Chamoli disaster that took place on February 7 has now mounted to 61 while 143 are still missing, police said.
Thirteen workers have so far been pulled out of the sludge-choked tunnel at Tapovan where a large number of people were at work when the tragedy occurred following a flash flood in Rishiganga. One human limb was also recovered from the tunnel on Thursday, taking the total number of human body parts recovered from different parts of the affected areas to 27.
5:14 PM
'Rail roko' agitation passed off without any untoward incident: Indian Railways
'Rail roko' agitation passed off without any untoward incident. There was negligible or minimal impact on running of the trains across the country. Train movement in all zones is normal now. Few trains were stopped in some areas but now train operation is normal: Indian Railways
4:58 PM
We will take our tractors to West Bengal, warns Rakesh Tikait
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said the protesting farmers will take the agitation to the poll-bound West Bengal if the Centre does not concur with their demands against the new farm laws.
Addressing a maha panchayat at Kharak Punia here, Tikait said, "Crops prices are not increased, but fuel prices have gone up. If Centre ruins the situation, we will take our tractors to West Bengal as well. Farmers have not been getting minimum support price (MSP) there also."
"The Centre should not be under any misconception that farmers will go back for crop harvesting. If they insisted (cracking down the protest), then we will burn our crops. They should not think that protest will end in two months. We will harvest as well as protest," added Tikait.
Elections for 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal are likely to take place in April-May this year.
4:46 PM
Farmers' rail roko agitation: 25 trains regulated in northern railway zone
Around 25 trains have been regulated in the northern zone due to the 'rail roko' call by farmers protesting the three agri laws on Thursday, a zonal railway spokesperson said. He, however, said there has been minimum effect of the agitation on the railways till now.
"Around 25 trains have been regulated so far. There has been minimum effect on rail services due to the agitation," Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.
Regulating trains means they have been either cancelled, short terminated or rerouted.
4:37 PM
Farmers not getting MSP in West Bengal also: BKU's Rakesh Tikait
4:27 PM
Bharatiya Kisan Union stage 'Rail Roko' in UP during nationwide protest against farm laws
4:00 PM
Farmers block railways in Maharashtra, services unaffected
Thousands of farmers staged rail-blockade (rail-roko) agitation in different parts of Maharashtra although train services remained largely unaffected, as part of the four-hour all-India protest, officials said here on Thursday.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and other farmers' organisations led protest marches to railway stations and railway lines in various district like Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Aurangabad, Pune, Parbhani, Yavatmal, while reports were awaited from other districts, said a spokesperson for the organisers.
Led by state and local leaders, the farmers carried banners, flags and posters and raise vociferous slogans demanding the repeal of the 3 new farm laws as they attempted to storm rail premises or railway tracks.
3:32 PM
Farmers' rail roko agitation: No trains arrive in Narela post noon, cops guard station
The Narela railway station in Delhi was witness to an unusual sight on Thursday -- hundred-odd police personnel and about 20 people dotted its platforms but none was expecting a train anytime soon. With farmers blocking tracks in different parts of Punjab and Haryana as part of their "rail roko" agitation against the Centre's three farm laws, no train arrived at the Narela station post noon.
According to a senior police officer, the trains scheduled to arrive at Narela were stopped by the protesting farmers in Haryana's Sonepat.
"Jhelum Express passed the station in the morning, and no train arrived after that," the police officer said.
He added that approximately 100 personnel drawn from the local police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have been deployed at the railway station to respond to any eventuality during the agitation.
2:57 PM
Rajasthan farmers gather at Jaipur, Jagatpura, Alwar railway stations
The impact of the Rail Roko Andolan called by protesting farmers over the three contentious farm laws on Thursday was evident in several districts of Rajasthan as it started at 12 noon. Jaipur-Delhi, Jaipur-Ajmer and Jaipur-Rewari are three railway tracks which will be affected in these four hours. DRM has made a control room and is monitoring developments on all major routes. GRP and RPF teams have been deputed on different tracks for the four-hour long protest, IANS reported.
Railway officials said that around 60 trains can be affected by the 'andolan'.
In Jaipur, farm leaders were seen standing on the engine at the Gandhinagar railway station. Similarly, in Chomu, farmers blocked the railway tracks. In Jagatpura, a large number of farmers were seen moving towards the railway gate under the leadership of Naresh Meena. He called a huge meeting where slogans were raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising a demand to withdraw the three farm laws passed by central government.
Latest live news updates: Agitating farmer groups on Thursday held a four-hour nationwide 'rail roko' agitation with the railways saying there was negligible impact on services though some trains were stopped by officials at stations as a precautionary measure. In Punjab and Haryana, farmers at several places squatted on railway tracks which led to disruption in normal movement of trains on some routes. Protests were also staged at some places in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
In another news, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry today ordered a floor test to be conducted in the state's Assembly on February 22.
Earlier in the day, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cleared the acquisition of Diwan Housing Finance Corporation by Piramal Capital And Housing Finance.
Meanwhile, the confirmed death toll in the Uttarkhand's Chamoli disaster, that took place on February 7, has now mounted to 61 while 143 are still missing.
 "Farmers' protest LIVE: Will take our tractors to Bengal, says Rakesh Tikait")
