India faced a massive blockade of its railway tracks and roads on Tuesday as farmers across the country led a massive protest against reforms deregulating the agriculture sector.
With a top trend of #IndiaShutDown and BharatBandh, shops, markets, transport and other business came to a grinding halt across the country.
A total shut down was observed across India on Tuesday to express solidarity with the farmers, mainly Sikhs who have rejected the reforms by Prime Minster Narendra Modi as say they face utter ruin, if not reversed.
The protest in India received widespread support from opposition parties and several other organizations in holding strong demonstrations. To add to the troubles of the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thousands of protesters, mainly Sikhs, held huge demonstrations outside Indian embassies across the top world capitals, giving it an international touch.
The shutdown, called by several farm groups, impacted traffic and movement in some parts of the country. Wholesale agricultural markets in Mumbai and Delhi were shut, while highways were blocked in some states such as Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, according to news reports.
Thousands of farmers, including men, women, children and elderly, have camped around Delhi, facing eyeball to eyeball by thousands of police in riot gear along barricades set on the main roads leading to the capital.
A seven-hour long round of talks between the government and farmers on Friday failed as the farmers remained adamant that they will not move until the three agriculture laws were repealed and they were given assurances of a minimum price for their crops.
Indian farmers hold massive countrywide protest – Phot by QuartzIndia
Borders connecting capital New Delhi with the northern Uttar Pradesh and Haryana states remained closed causing huge traffic snarls.
