Farmers in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday put up road blockades at national and state highways at most of the places as part of a nationwide 'chakka jam' in protest against the three farm laws and demanded these be withdrawn, causing inconvenience to commuters.

'Chakka jam' partially successful in Karnataka, farmers' team reaches Delhi border

In solidarity with the national farmers union that launched a protest - chakka jam - across the nation on Saturday, Karnataka farmers organisations succeeded in blocking national highways in various parts of Karnataka in general, and Bengaluru in particular.

Traffic movement was hit on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway, while farmers partially succeeded in blocking vehicles across the state, except in the coastal region which is the ruling BJP's stronghold in the state.

The protests across the state were held in a peaceful manner with no unruly incidents being reported.

Over 40 farmers unions under the aegis of the Bharatiya Kisan Union have been protesting on Delhi's borders for the last two months against the three contentious agri laws enacted last year.

Many highways including Delhi-Jaipur highway blocked during chakka jam in Rajasthan

Farmers in Rajasthan blocked many national and state highways for three hours on Saturday, from 12pm to 3 pm, demanding the withdrawal of three farm laws and protesting against the internet ban near their protest sites and alleged harassment by authorities, among other issues.

The Congress government had already extended its support to farmers. Following orders from the AICC, Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasara on Friday directed all party officials to fully cooperate in making the highway jam a success, after which Congress leaders took to the streets for the chakka jam.

The protests started around 12 noon. In Jaipur, tractors were placed on roads to jam the traffic while in Alwar, stones and thorny shrubs were placed on roads to check the traffic on roads.

In Kota, a massive tractor rally was taken out.

The Delhi-Jaipur highway was completely blocked as the lane passing through the Shahjahanapur border (Alwar) was also closed around 11 am in morning. It shall remain closed till 3 pm, said farm leaders.

Former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, who started a kisaan mahapanchayat on Friday from Dausa, reached Bharapur on Saturday to address a farmers' gathering as a part of this chakka jam protest. Many associations extended their support in making the chakka jam a success in Rajasthan. A 50-member delegation of advocates came at the protest site from Shri Ganganagar and donated Rs 80,000 for langar.

Farmers' agitation: 'Chakka Jaam' drive halts Maha highways

Thousands of peasants, workers, tribals, political and social activists, including many women, took to the roads and highways across Maharashtra as part of the nationwide 'Chakka Jaam' agitation to demand scrapping of the three farm laws and express solidarity with the farmers' protests in Delhi, here on Saturday.

Activists blocked prominent roads, state or national highways and other important thoroughfares in 34 of the state's 36 districts - including Mumbai and excluding Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg - squatted and halted traffic, waved banners and placards, shouted slogans and sang devotional or patriotic songs, amid tight police security, according to Samyukta Kisan Morcha spokesperson P. S. Prasad.

Barring the Bharatiya Janata Party, the agitation saw the participation of all major parties such as the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party, Congress, the Left parties as well as farmers organisations like All India Kisan Sabha, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti and Bharatiya Kisan Sena.

"The agitation was near-total in places like Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Osmanabad, and others with farmers, workers and political activists participating peacefully in huge numbers," Prasad told IANS.

In Yavatmal, police detained farmers' leader and Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission President, Kishore Tiwari, who is accorded a MoS status, while leading a 'chakka jaam' protest on the national highway.

Expressing support to the farmers in Delhi, NCP State President Jayant Patil said this is the first time in Independent India that a central government was "hiding from the people" in such a manner.

"The government is scared to face the people, the farmers and the workers...Hence it is resorting to tactics like hammering nails and barricades on roads," Patil said.

Leading an agitation in Kolhapur, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) President Raju Shetti said that the so-called celebrities speaking in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled central government forget that it is the "crores of ordinary masses" who have raised them to their celeb status.

"These people are doing a lot of 'teev-teev' (referring to the tweets), but once the people dump them, even a dog won't sniff at the celebs," Shetti warned.

He warned that the farmers agitation would be intensified by laying siege to the income tax and GST offices if the government fails to revoke the three farm laws.

While All India Kisan Sabha leaders like Dr. Ashok Dhawale, Dr. Ajit Nawale, led the protesters in different districts, CPI(M) legislator Vinod B. Nikole led the blockade by hundreds of farmers and labourers on the highway in Ahmednagar.

In Nashik, SSS state president Sandeep Jagtap spearheaded the 'chakka jaam', Buldhana SSS leader Prashant Dikkar led the protesters on the highways.

'Chakka jaam' protests were organized in other districts such as Jalna, Beed, Latur, Nagpur, Nanded, Washim, Parbhani, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Aurangabad by various leaders.

Singhu border peaceful, internet suspended due

Amid the continuing deadlock between the Centre and farmer unions and a countrywide 'chakka jam' (road block) called by agitating farmers, the situation at Singhu border protest site in Delhi was peaceful even as internet connectivity was suspended as a precautionary measure on Saturday.

A senior Delhi Police official told IANS, "The situation is peaceful here, however, security has been tightened. No one is allow to enter towards the protest site."

In view of security, Delhi Police have put up barricades around one-and-half km (at Singhola village) away from the protest site. A second line of barricades has been put up 500 metres further. More barricades have been put up 300 metres from the protest site at Singhu border.

Mobile internet connectivity has been snapped in the border areas. Media personnel are also not allowed to enter the protest site.

Emergency and essential services like ambulance and school bus will not be stopped, said the protesters. However, there was no report of violence from anywhere in both the state.

The nationwide call from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. was given by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee.

Protesting farmers belonging to different outfits started assembling along the highways, mainly in front of the toll plazas in both state, well before the blockade to come into effect.

Heavy police presence was seen at various places in Haryana and Punjab to maintain law and order in view of the protest by the farmers.

As a precaution, the police have diverted traffic at many places.

The activists of several farmer associations were seen asking traders at several places in the Congress-ruled Punjab to keep their shops and business establishments closed to mark the pan-India protest.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a former ally of the BJP-led NDA government, and AAP have announced a statewide 'chakka jam' in Punjab to mark their protest.

Farmers protesting against the laws have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the 'mercy' of big corporate entities.