The nationwide farmers-led three-hour ‘Chakka Jam’ protests were held across the country on Saturday, in support of their demand to repeal three farm laws. This was the first big protest organised by the protesting farmers after the Republic Day Tractor rally. Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions that is leading the protest, gave the call of ‘Chakka jam’ protest across the country except for Delhi. The farmers blocked roads and national highways for three hours between 12 noon and 3 pm.
Delhi
In view of the nationwide call for ‘chakka jam’ call given by the protesting farmers, Delhi police had already put in adequate security arrangements at all border points in the national capital. While Delhi police had deployed more than 50,000 police personnel, Paramilitary and Reserve Forces were also stationed across Delhi. The entry and exit points of at least 12 metro stations were sealed.
The ministry of home affairs also ordered an internet suspension at the Tikri, Singhu, and Ghazipur borders along with surrounding areas.
At Red Fort and Delhi’s ITO, which saw violence on Republic Day tractor rally, there was a huge presence of police personnel. The police had also deployed a water cannon vehicle and riot control vehicle in the area.
However, around 50 people were detained in Shaheed Park in Delhi for allegedly holding protests in support of farmers.
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Rajasthan
Farmers in Rajasthan blocked many national and state highways for three hours on Saturday, from 12 pm to 3 pm, demanding the withdrawal of three farm laws and protesting against the internet ban near their protest sites and alleged harassment by authorities.
The Delhi-Jaipur highway was completely blocked as the lane passing through the Shahjahanapur border (Alwar) was also closed around 11 am.
The ruling Congress government in the state had already extended the support to the protesting farmers.
In Jaipur, tractors were placed on roads to jam the traffic while in Alwar, stones and thorny shrubs were placed on roads to check the traffic on roads.
A massive tractor rally was taken out in Kota. A 50-member delegation of advocates came to the protest site from Shri Ganganagar and donated Rs 80,000 for langar.
Former deputy CM Sachin Pilot also addressed a farmers’ gathering at Bharapur.
Maharashtra
Thousands of farmers took to roads and highways in as many as 35 districts of Maharashtra as part of the chakka jam agitation. In Mumbai, farmers squatted and halted traffic, waved banners and placards, shouted slogans, and sang devotional or patriotic songs, amid tight police security,
The agitation also saw the participation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government as well as farmers organisations like All India Kisan Sabha, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, and Bharatiya Kisan Sena.
"The agitation was near-total in places like Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Osmanabad, and others with farmers, workers and political activists participating peacefully in huge numbers," said P. S Prasad, spokesperson, Samyukta Kisan Morcha.
While All India Kisan Sabha leaders like Dr Ashok Dhawale, Dr Ajit Nawale, led the protesters in different districts, CPI(M) legislator Vinod B. Nikole led the blockade by hundreds of farmers and labourers on the highway in Ahmednagar.
'Chakka jaam' protests were organized in other districts also including Jalna, Beed, Latur, Nagpur, Nanded, Washim, Parbhani, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Aurangabad by various leaders.
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Punjab & Haryana
Farmers in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday put up road blockades at national and state highways at most places in both the states. Protesting farmers belonging to different outfits started assembling along the highways, mainly in front of the toll plazas in both states, well before the blockade come into effect.
Protesting farmers blocked the Ladowal Toll on NH 1 Highway in Ludhiana, Lehragaga-Jakhal highway in Sangrur district, Mansa-Sirsa highway, and Bathinda-Amritsar highway as part of the nationwide Chakka Jam.
Heavy police presence was seen at various places in Haryana and Punjab to maintain law and order in view of the protest by the farmers.
The activists of several farmer associations were seen asking traders at several places in the Punjab to keep their shops and business establishments closed to mark the pan-India protest.
The protests across the state were held peacefully with no unruly incidents being reported.
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Karnataka
In solidarity with the protesting farmers at the Delhi borders, Karnataka farmers unions succeeded in blocking national highways in various parts of Karnataka.
Traffic movement was hit on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway, while farmers partially succeeded in blocking vehicles across the state, except in the coastal region which is the ruling BJP's stronghold in the state.
The demonstrations took place in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kolar, Koppal, Bagalkote, Tumakuru Davangere, Hassan, Haveri, Shivamogga, Chikkaballapura, and other places.
In some districts like Belgavi, women activists also came out in large numbers and protested. At Chitradurga, activists formed a human chain and shouted slogans against the farm laws and the Union government. In several districts in north Karnataka, artists and cooks came out in support of the farmers and used roads as their canvas to depict how the farm laws can harm farmers.
A delegation of farmers from Karnataka reached the Ghazipur border near Delhi on Thursday to show solidarity with the ongoing farmers' protest.
The protests across the state were held peacefully. However, several agitating farmers in Bengaluru's northern suburb of Yelahanka were detained for blocking the highway for over two hours.
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(With inputs from IANS)
