New Delhi: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a united forum of farmer unions protesting the three farm laws, said Monday that its call for a Bharat Bandh received ‘unprecedented and historic’ response from more than 23 states. The SKM also said not a single untoward incident was reported from anywhere. It also said that the success of the ‘Bandh’ has certainly sent a message to the government.
“Reports have been pouring in about the overwhelmingly positive and resounding response to the Bharat Bandh call… to mark 10 months of peaceful protests with rightful demands from the ‘annadaatas’ of the country. Spontaneous participation from various sections of the society was witnessed at most places,” the SKM said in a statement.
The SKM said the bandh was observed peacefully in ‘more than 23 states’ and not a single untoward incident was reported. It also appreciated state governments and political parties that extended support to the bandh.
“Reports have come in from hundreds of locations from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal about the bandh, and numerous events to accompany the same,” the SKM statement informed.
In Punjab alone, people gathered at more than 500 locations to express their support to the bandh. Numerous non-farmer associations also stood in solidarity with farmers, it said.
“Life came to a near standstill in several states like Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand and Bihar. Reports indicate that in several parts of southern Assam, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, this was the situation. Scores of protests marked the day in states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand,” the SKM said in the statement.