Bharat Bandh in pics: Mixed response in Delhi, normal life hit in Punjab

1 / 7

Farmers blocked national highways and other key roads at many places in Punjab and Haryana today as part of the their nationwide protest to press for repeal of the Centre's new agri marketing laws. Shops and commercial establishments remained closed at most places in Punjab and several places in Haryana as traders backed the agitating farmers. Public and private transport services remained shut in Punjab. In neighbouring Haryana, inter-state and intra-state bus services were disrupted. Agitating farmers blocked several key roads, including Chandigarh-Delhi, Amritsar-Delhi, Hisar-Delhi and Bhiwani-Delhi national highways. They parked tractors, trucks and other vehicles in the middle of the carriageways.

2 / 7

The nationwide shutdown, called by the farmers' unions, evoked a mixed response in Assam on Tuesday with shops pulling down their shutters, protesters blocking traffic, and Congress and Left supporters staging demonstrations, even as most of the offices were functioning. In Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Lakhimpur and Hojai, most of the shops were closed and very few vehicles were on the roads. A few government buses were running, leading to difficulties for the commuters.At several places, protesters, mainly of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and the CPI(M)-backed SFI, burnt tyres on the roads and tried to block the traffic. Police detained most of them, an official said.

3 / 7

Supporters of the Congress and Left parties on Tuesday blocked railway tracks at several places, and held sit-ins on roads to enforce the nationwide shutdown, which evoked a mixed response in West Bengal.The 'Bharat Bandh', called by agitating farmers' unions against the Centre's farm laws, partially affected the state with private vehicles remaining off the roads, while public transport, including buses and taxis, operating fewer than the usual.In Kolkata, CPI(M) activists along with SFI and DYFI members blocked roads in Lake Town, College Street, Jadavpur and Shyambazar Five-Point Crossing.

4 / 7

The Bharat 'Bandh' called by farmer unions and supported by the Congress and other organisations evoked a mixed response in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday barring sporadic protests. In Gwalior district, police used water cannons to disperse agitators who were led by a Congress leader.In Bhopal, farmers tried to take out a march on the residence of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan under the banner of the Rashtriya Kisan Majdoor Sangh, but police stopped it midway at Chunabhattiarea.Shops remained open in several cities even as Congress workers took out rallies appealing shop-keepers to down shutters.

5 / 7

Supporters of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) and the Left parties participated in a massive protest march in Patna on Tuesday, in support of the nationwide Bharat Bandh call given by farmers. Besides, there were also reports of some disturbances and disruptions in parts of Bihar.The Opposition parties' supporters in Patna blocked the Dak Bungalow Chowk intersection leading to disruption of traffic.JAP supporters, under the leadership of Pappu Yadav, were looking particularly aggressive. They were carrying paddy on their heads apart from traditional farming equipment to protest the three farms bills passed by the Parliament.Yadav said the NDA government must roll back the three 'black laws' and implement the Swaminathan Commission report on the agriculture sector.

6 / 7

A nationwide strike called by farmer unions received a mixed response in Delhi with most businesses and transport services operating, even as more protesters converged at the national capital's borders to join the farmers' stir while authorities maintained tight security.Chants of "Jai Kisan", "Humara bhaichara zindabad, Kisan ekta zindabad", "Tanashahi nahi chalegi" rent the air as farmer leaders gave rousing speeches at the protest sites, vowing to continue their agitation.The Aam Aadmi Party, which has supported the Bharat Bandh along with many other opposition parties, alleged that the Delhi Police has put Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under house arrest after he met protesting farmers at the Singhu border on Monday, a claim denied by the city police.

7 / 7

The Bharat Bandh called by farmer unions, protesting the three Central agri laws, drew a mixed response in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday with shops and offices remaining largely open, while the Samajwadi Party held protests in a number of districts and even holding up a train in Allahabad.Samajwadi Party leaders sat on a silent protest near the statue of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh at the Vidhan Bhavan in Lucknow in support of the bandh. SP MLCs Rajpal Kashyap, Sunil Singh Sajan, Anand Bhadauria and Ashu Malik were part of it.However, life in state capital remained mostly unaffected with District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash saying that attendances in offices were absolutely normal.