Delhi saw a mixed response over the Bharat Bandh call given by farmers as most of the markets remained open and transport services almost remained unaffected.
The traders, however, complained of low footfall.
Most of the markets, including Lajpat Nagar, Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazar, in the city remained open while police teams could be seen patrolling to maintain law and order across the city. Public transport services in Delhi remained largely unaffected while some auto and taxi unions kept their vehicles off the roads in support of the shutdown.
Shopkeepers at Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar market tied black ribbons around their arms to express solidarity with the farmers’ demand while Ghazipur mandi was open but many traders closed their shops to support the strike.
“No protesting farmer came here and asked us to close the shop. If they would have come and asked we would have closed,” said Manish Gulati, a shopkeeper in Lajpat Nagar area.
Police said there were no major fresh protests in the city except in some Delhi border areas, but traffic diversions were made on some routes as a precautionary measure.
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, including Tikri, Singhu, Chilla and Ghazipur vowing to continue their agitation.
Several more farmers reached the protest sites across the city borders on tractor-trolleys and cars amid heavy security presence to participate in the nationwide call for bandh.
“The farmers are standing by their demand that they want a complete roll back of the three laws and will not accept any cosmetic changes… If demands are not met, the farmers are ready to take their agitation to the next level,” said Hannan Mollah, general secretary, All India Kisan Sabha.
“Amendments are just a ploy to cut short our protest and send us back home. In these laws, the private entities might initially offer a higher price for their produce, forcing the ‘arhtiyas’ or local middlemen in the mandis to shut shop, following which the corporates will pay the farmers peanuts for the crops. Once the ‘arhtiyas’ disappear, we will have nowhere to go. We will have to sell to the corporations at negligible prices,” Sikandar Khan, the farmer from Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh.
Raghuvir Singh from Sirsa in Haryana said that there is nothing to amend in these laws.
“The Government keeps saying that Minimum Support Price (MSP) will continue to be there, then why aren’t they giving that in writing? Government doesn’t care if the farmers live or die. We have anyway been selling wheat at Rs 1500/quintal instead of Rs 1925/quintal. With these laws, the farmers will be finished,” he said.
Delhi Police on Tuesday also in a series tweet stated, “Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari & Mangesh borders are closed. NH-44 is closed. Please take alternate routes via Lampur, Safiabad, Saboli & Singhu school toll tax borders.”
“Traffic movement at Ghazipur border in the carriageway from Delhi to Ghaziabad is open and Ghaziabad to Delhi is closed.” Delhi Traffic Police tweeted.