Bharat Bandh: Farmers call for nationwide protest to mark a year of farm laws; police steps up security, warns of traffic chaos

(Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for Bharat Bandh on Monday (September 27, 2021) to mark the first anniversary of the enactment of the three farm laws. This nationwide strike called by the farmers’ organisations may disrupt traffic during the 10-hour general strike with police in several states putting in elaborate security arrangements in place. 

SKM, which is an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions, in a statement said, "It was on September 27, 2020 that President Shri Ram Nath Kovind assented 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 statement also added that farmer unions along with their supporters have made detailed plans to ensure that life remains suspended tomorrow across the country, except for emergency services. SKM has said that all government and private offices, educational and other institutions, shops, industries and commercial establishments as well as public events and functions will be closed across the country. 

SKM has put out detailed guidelines and called for complete peace, in their statement, during the strike and also appealed to all citizens of the country to join the nationwide strike.

“Roads will be closed, but if someone wants to go to the doctor's clinic, they can go. Ambulances, vegetable and milk vehicles will run. Apart from that, everything will be closed. All traders and shopkeepers should support the bandh,” said SKM leader Rakesh Tikait.

“We will not go inside Delhi during the bandh. Where there are toll blocks, they will be closed. This is the movement of the common people. People should take a day off and leave the house only after 4 o'clock,” Tikait added.

The farmer unions in their statement also revealed that a collective of more than 30 farmer organisations, who are protesting the three farm laws, has garnered support from more than 500 farmer organisations, 15 trade unions, political parties, six state governments and others, farm leaders have claimed. 

“More than 605 farmers have been martyred, including two deaths related to police brutalities. The Modi government is behaving in an extremely undemocratic and inhuman way against farmers, and BJP will certainly bear the consequences of this,” SKM said in a statement.

Political support

Governments of some states, such as Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Punjab, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh have also extended their support to the Bharat Bandh protest. 

Left parties like the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, All India Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party have extended their support to the Bharat Bandh. Many other parties like the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party (SP), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (Secular), SAD-Sanyukt, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Swaraj India and others have also extended their support to the farmers. 

Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the Congress and its workers will extend full support to the peaceful 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmer unions. "We believe in the rights of our farmers and we will stand by them in their fight against the black farm laws," he said in a tweet. "All PCC presidents, chiefs of frontal organisations are requested to go out in front with our Annadatas in their peaceful Bharat Bandh across the country," Venugopal said.

Additionally, Punjab’s Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu also extended his support and tweeted, "Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee firmly stands by farmer unions' demand for Bharat Bandh on September 27, 2021. In 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.”

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday said that her party will support a peaceful 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmers against the Centre's three farm laws.

In Kerala, both the ruling LDF and the Congress-led UDF have supported the nationwide farmers' strike, even as the BJP denounced the hartal as "anti-people". INTUC state president R Chandrasekharan told PTI that since the hartal has the support of both LDF and UDF, the state is expected to come to a standstill on Monday. 

The Andhra Pradesh government has declared full support to the Bharat Bandh on September 27 led by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, and also to workers of Visakhapatnam steel plant, state Information and Transport Minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) said on Saturday. 

Adequate security arrangements to be made: Delhi Police

The Delhi Police on Saturday said adequate security arrangements will be made across the borders of the national capital in view of the Bharat Bandh. No protestor will be allowed to enter Delhi from the three protest sites at the city's borders, the official said.

"The security will be preventive and we are fully alert. There is no call for 'Bharat Bandh' in Delhi, but we are watching the developments and adequate number of personnel will be on ground," another officer said.

In the latest tweet Delhi Police informed that the traffic movement has been closed from UP towards Ghazipur due to protest. 

Traffic Alert

Traffic movement has been closed from UP towards Ghazipur due to protest.

— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) September 27, 2021

Farmers to block Delhi-Ambala railway line, NH-44

Reports suggest that the farmers will block the busy Delhi-Ambala railway section and Ambala-Saharanpur railway line near Phoosgarh village in Yamunanagar as part of the nationwide agitation from 6 am to 4 pm today.Additionally, SKM will also stage a sit-in on National Highway-44. 

Karnataka puts elaborate security measures in place 

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has put in place elaborate security measures to ensure that there is no untoward incident or disturbance to daily activities, during the 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmer unions on Monday to protest the Centre's three farm laws.

"Police have been instructed to take all the necessary precautionary measures to maintain peace and order in the wake of Bharat Bandh tomorrow," Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said in a statement on Sunday. 

Bus services in Odisha to remain suspended

The bus services of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) will remain suspended from 6 AM to 3 PM on Monday due to a nationwide strike called by farmer organisations against the Centre's three contentious new agriculture laws.

Farmers from different parts of the country, especially Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi's borders since last November, demanding the repeal of the farm laws over fears that it would do away with the minimum support price, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

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.

(With Agency inputs)