As farmers protesting against the government's agricultural sector laws have called a 'Bharat Bandh' on Tuesday, Swabhimani Shetkari Saghtana, a farmer's body staged 'Bharat Bandh Rail Roko' agitation and briefly stopped a train in Malkapur of Maharashtra's Buldhana district.
The protestors were later removed from the tracks and detained by the police.
Trains were also stopped at Bhubaneswar Railway Station in Odisha by Left political parties, trade unions and farmer unions.
Left political parties protest on the railway tracks at Jadabpur Railway Station in Kolkata & stop a train, in support of Bharat Bandh by farmer unions.
This comes as several rounds of talks with Centre to resolve to stalemate have remained inconclusive.
While the farmers are stressing that the bandh will be peaceful, police and state administrations across the country are taking measures to avoid any untoward incident during the protest. The farmers’ union has also urged farmers not to force anyone to join the call for Bharat Bandh.
“We appeal to farmers no to force anyone to observe Bharat Bandh. People are supporting our movement willingly. Even railway people will support the bandh. Four states business people are with us. We don’t have to go and tell that tomorrow is Bharat Bandh,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Rajewal), president Balbir Singh Rajewal said at a press briefing at the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border.
"The bandh will be observed throughout Tuesday, but the 'chakka jam' (road blockade) will be on only till 3 pm," said Darshan Pal, Punjab unit president of the Krantikari Kisan Union said on Monday.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union on Monday said that the Bharat bandh is a "symbolic protest" to show opposition to Centre's policies.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws--Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
(With ANI inputs)
