Bharat Bandh: Traffic movement towards Delhi from UP, Punjab affected

Traffic movement towards Delhi from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab was severely affected on Monday as farmers, protesting against the three central agricultural laws, blocked key routes towards the national capital as part of Bharat Bandh that commenced at 6am today.

Also Read | Bharat Bandh today to mark a year of farm laws, police step up security

“Traffic alert! Traffic movement has been closed from UP towards Ghazipur due to protest,” the Delhi Traffic Police informed in an early morning tweet.

Ghazipur border is among three places in Delhi where farmers have camped since November last year in protest against the agricultural laws. The city's borders with Haryana at Singhu and Tikri are the other two protest sites.

Also Read | Bharat bandh: Farmers form teams to block traffic movement on highways

Meanwhile, protesters in Haryana's Kurukshetra brought traffic to a halt by blocking the key Delhi-Amritsar National Highway.

Today's pan-India blockade is being observed to mark one full year since the contentious legislations were passed. In view of the protest, called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions spearheading the agitation, security has been tightened by police forces in various states.

Most opposition parties in the country, including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) etc. have extended support to the bandh call by the SKM.

Also Read | Ready to continue fight for 10 years, says Rakesh Tikait

Total 11 rounds of talks between the SKM and the Union government, represented by agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and his Cabinet colleagues, Piyush Goyal and Som Prakash, have failed to resolve the impasse. The Centre has categorically refused to accept the agitators' demand to withdraw the laws.

On January 26, a tractor rally held by farmers in Delhi resulted in clashes with the city police.