Farmers Movement Archive

Bharat Bandh: No impact in Mumbai, extra force not deployed, say police

The Mumbai Police said that Monday's Bharat Bandh showed no significant impact in the city, with shops, commercial establishments and local transport operating as usual. The police also said that they did not deploy an extra security force at key junctions and roads.The 10-hour Bharat Bandh has been called by Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organisation of 40 farmer unions, to mark the first anniversary of the passage of three farm laws by Parliament. The farmers have been protesting near national capital Delhi since November last year, demanding that the three laws be scrapped.They have tried to intensify the agitation by undertaking different exercises, like Republic Day rally etc. Bharat Bandh is the latest attempt by the protesters to push their demand of the withdrawal of the three central laws.A few Congress workers, holding placards, assembled at some places like Andheri and Jogeshwari and shouted slogans against the farm bills, but other than that there was no impact of the bandh in the city so far, news agency PTI reported quoting a Mumbai Police official."Till now, no extra force has been been deployed, but it may be placed as per local requirement," the official said.The Centre and farmer unions have held 11 rounds of talks so far, the last being on January 22, to break the deadlock and end the farmers' protest. But the impasse is still continuing with the farmers refusing to end their protest.The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 - came into existence as laws after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent on September 27 last year.Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the 'mandi' and the MSP (minimum support price) procurement systems and leave cultivators at the mercy of big corporates. The government, however, has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced and asserted that these steps will help increase farmers' income.

Hindustan Times

27-09-2021

Mumbai