Shashank Suresh
The 10-hour Bharat Bandh, set to finish at 4 p.m., was declared a success by protesting farmers on Monday. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) organised a pan-India shut down in protest of three agriculture regulations enacted by Parliament in September last year.
“The ‘Bharat Bandh’ was a huge success. Farmers were completely behind us. We can’t close everything because we need to allow people to move around. We are prepared to meet with the government, but no meetings have been scheduled “Rakesh Tikait, a spokesperson for the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), says the SKM, an umbrella organisation of over 40 unions, organised a bandh, and BKU was one of the participants.
On Monday, the bandh was called to commemorate the one anniversary of President Ram Nath Kovind’s consent to the three-agriculture legislation. Bharat Bandh elicited “an extraordinary response, well above anyone’s expectations,” according to the SMK. Many non-NDA parties came out in favour of the countrywide demonstration. There were complaints of traffic congestion in many places, while others said the Bandh had little effect. To ensure law and order, a large police presence was seen across the county.
Read also: TN gives ‘cold shoulder’ to Bharat Bandh call
Railway operations
The bandh disrupted railway services, causing as many as 25 trains to be delayed or diverted. According to Northern Railway, people sitting on lines have hampered rail operations in the Delhi, Ambala, and Ferozepur divisions.
Punjab and Haryana
Farmers in both states stopped national highways and important connecting roads, forcing police to redirect traffic at many locations. The bandh was virtually complete in Punjab, with transportation services halted and most stores and other business facilities closed. Several districts have national and state roads. At Shahabad in Haryana’s Kurukshetra, the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway was closed.
Maharashtra
On Monday, commercial enterprises and local transportation were open for business as usual, and regular life went on as usual across Maharashtra. One APMC in Pune remained closed, while a pro-farmers’ group mounted a road blockade in Nagpur, while several protestors were detained and later freed. Congress members with banners gathered in Andheri and Jogeshwari in Mumbai, shouting slogans against the agricultural bills, but stores and other commercial enterprises were open as usual, and traffic flow was regular, according to the police.
Delhi-NCR
The Bharat Bandh disrupted traffic between Delhi and the neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Ghazipur and Dhansa borders were closed to vehicular traffic, with the Delhi Traffic Police blocking both carriageways on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh Ghazipur border. Delhi Police and paramilitary jawans searched vehicles entering the national capital, causing a massive traffic jam at the Gurugram-Delhi border. Massive traffic congestion was also experienced on the Delhi Noida Direct (DND) flyway.
Assam
On Monday, Assam was untouched by the Bharat Bandh, with public transportation operating normally, shops open, and offices reporting normal attendance. In the state, the opposition Congress, which backed the bandh, did not organise any protests. The SUCI (Communist) members held a morning protest march in Guwahati, shouting slogans against the three agricultural regulations.
Jammu and Kashmir
On Monday, demonstrations and rallies were held across the Jammu district to support the Bharat Bandh, which farmers called to seek the repeal of three laws enacted by the Centre. Hundreds of activists and farmers marched and sat on a dharna on the main route, led by CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami, disrupting traffic. In Srinagar, a similar rally took place, with some farmer leaders demanding a minimum support price for farm commodities.
Read also: Minimal impact of Bharat Bandh in UP
Goa
On Monday, the Bharat Bandh had little impact on the coastal state. All services, including public transportation, banks, railroads, and commercial enterprises, regularly ran during the bandh. The request for a bandh was backed by the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). “We haven’t stopped any work,” said AITUC Goa unit secretary Suhas Naik, “but employees in all the industrial estates conducted half-hour demonstrations in their respective regions before resuming work.”
Gujarat
During the 10-hour Bharat Bandh on Monday, Gujarat remained mostly calm. However, there have been instances of the Surat-Mumbai and Ahmedabad-Rajkot roads being temporarily closed, causing traffic congestion in a few locations. Police arrested about 25 individuals, and traffic was resumed on the route.
Kerala
To support the request for a Bharat Bandh, protesters from numerous trade unions, including the Indian National Trade Union Congress, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, and the All-India Trade Union Congress, create a human chain in Kochi, Kerala. The trade unions associated with the LDF and UDF have endorsed the demand for a Bharat Bandh, which has left the roads in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram desolate and stores shuttered.
West Bengal
On Monday, in support of the Bharat Bandh, left activists blocked highways and railway tracks across West Bengal. Due to the Covid-related limitations, educational institutions are already closed. Road blockades were set up in most of the state’s main cities and villages. Normal life in the state, on the other hand, was largely untouched. Markets and stores were open as usual, and public transportation worked well, with a few exceptions.