Farmers Movement Archive

‘Chakka Jam’ observed in the city by protesters

The Samyukt Kissan Morcha on Saturday held a symbolic protest at Krishna Chowk in Palam Vihar against the three farm laws as part of the ongoing nationwide farmers’ agitation. Around 200 protesters sat in the middle of road and shouted slogans against the union government and blocked the traffic for over 2 hours, leading to congestion. The protest took place between 12 noon and 3pm in the afternoon. Heavy traffic congestion was also witnessed at Sirhaul plaza between 11am to 12.30pm due to strict checking by Delhi Police. The traffic movement, however, eased after 12.30 pm, when the police relaxed border checks. Farmers protesting at Shahjahanpur near Jaisinghpur Khera at the Haryana-Rajasthan border also held a chakka jam (road blockade) at two places — one near the protest site on the National Highway-48 and the other at Bawal Chowk. At Bajghera in Gurugram, which was the main site of protest in the city, around 200 farmers, local political leaders and social activists sat on a sit-in protest for about three hours. Santokh Singh, president, Kisan Morcha, said that they held a peaceful sit-in protest and blocked the road to protest against the draconian laws passed by the government. “These laws should be repealed as these violate the rights of the farmers and are meant to push corporates into agribusiness,” he alleged. A large number of women also participated in the protest. They created a human chain on Bajghera Road and Palam Vihar Road, disrupting the traffic. The protesters also distributed anti-government pamphlets and shouted slogans. RS Rathee,councillor, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) said that protests will continue till the farm laws are repealed and the government realises its mistake. “Agriculture is backbone of economy and these laws will destroy it,” he said. Pradeep Zaildar, a local political leader, said that people across all communities have joined the protests. “This is a question of survival and we are in for a long fight,” he said.A large group of city police was deployed at the spot to manage traffic diversions and maintain law and order. City police officials said that all arrangements were made to maintain law and order and traffic diversions were carried out to minimise the impact of congestion. “Measures were taken to divert traffic from Palam Vihar Road and Bajghera Road. Traffic personnel at various points were deployed to prevent congestion. The situation remained under peaceful and in control,” said Rajiv Kumar, ACP, Udyog Vihar. Overall, traffic movement remained normal on the remaining part of Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and KMP(Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) Expressway. Farmers protesting at Shahjahanpur near Jaisinghpur Khera at the Haryana-Rajasthan border said their road blockade on NH-48 and Bawal was successful. Sanjay Madhav, member of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha — the umbrella body of farmer unions protesting at Delhi borders — and the state convener of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee in Rajasthan, said that the blockade at both the places was successful. “The blockade took place peacefully without any disruption. We marched a little ahead from the protest site and sat down at an intersection. Emergency vehicles and local commuters were allowed to pass,” said Madhav.He added that protesting farmers from different states including Orissa, Kerala and Haryana sang songs in their native languages to voice opposition against the three farm laws. Naveen Sohlot, a farmer from Bawal, said farmers sat on the roads for nearly three hours and were joined by locals. “Farmers from Rajasthan held the blockade at Shajahanpur while we organised another protest at Bawal. The local administration had extended support and we were able to register our protest peacefully,” said Sohlot.In Nuh too, a blockade was held for three hours by farmers on the Naugaon-Mundka stretch.

Hindustan Times

06-02-2021

Gurugram