Gurugram remained calm even as workers of the Congress party, AAP, CITU, all-India Kisaan Sabha and Anganwari workers joined hands with 360 villages of the Jharsa Khap to stage demonstrations as part of Bharat Bandh, a countrywide protest against three farms law enacted by the Central Government, on Tuesday.
Markets across the district, including Gurugram city, remained open and business activities remained operational as industries and market associations said they did not participate in the shutdown.
Even, less traffic movement was witnessed on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway on Tuesday during the peak hours.
However, hundreds of workers including Rajya Sabha MP KK Ragesh, CITU, all-India Kisaan Sabha and Anganwari workers staging a protest in support of farmers at Bilaspur Chowk later on Tuesday were taken into preventive custody by police.
With heavy deployment of police personnel across the district, markets including Sadar Bazar, food market, wholesale vegetable market remained open, transport services were functional and no untoward incidents were reported from anywhere in the city.
“There was no major impact of Bharat Bandh on the traffic movement in Gurugram. All our police force was deployed on the different stretches and border areas. Also, a huge deployment of the police teams was ensured at the sensitive area in Gurugram. The traffic movement was smooth on Tuesday across the day even during peak hours as well, but nothing additional because of the Bandh,” said Usha Kundu, ACP (headquarters).
This bandh, they said, was observed by many political parties, farmer union, worker unions, Anganwari workers and khap panchayat of 360 villages.
Around 200 different party workers, leaders, village heads, farmers and worker unions gathered at Jharsa Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and Bilaspur Chowk on the National Highway 48 staged a protest against the farm law and back.
"We have decided to support the farmers' movement in solidarity and warned the state government and said that the central government is doing injustice to the farmers. If necessary, they will march across the city and will close the markets on their own," Chaudhary Mahender Singh Thakran, president of the 360 village khap, said.
They were carrying placards and flags and shouted slogans against the BJP and accused the party of passing the agriculture laws for their own benefits.
"The farmers and workers of the country are suffering due to the dirty policies of this present government,” said a party leader.
“A number of people have joined hands with us to raise their protest in front of the government. We will not allow the government to destroy farmer’s lives amid these newly passed farm laws. We will fully support farmers' agitation and if required we will march towards the national capital to support farmers agitation,” said a former minister.
Meanwhile, a BJP leader said that the people of Gurugram rejected the bandh call as “the people were satisfied by steps taken by state and central governments. They know the truth that this farmer's stir has been converted into politics and this movement is now politically motivated.”