Bharat Bandh today: Nationwide strike begins, protesting farmers say demonstrations will continue peacefully

Protesting farmers in India called for a Bharath Bandh (nationwide strike) on Friday (Feb 16) as part of their 'Dilli Chalo' agitation - a march by farmers from the state of Punjab to the national capital to press their demands that the government set a minimum price for all their produce to ensure they can sustain their livelihood. Security has been tightened in New Delhi and surrounding regions amid the nationwide strike.

The Bandh was called by the central trade unions. Earlier, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) requested all like-minded farmer groups to come together and be a part of the Bandh.

>Tradersin India are poised to continue their business operations uninterrupted despite the Bandh, according to a report by the news agency ANI on Friday. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said that traders will keep their establishments open during the nationwide strike, emphasising their role in ensuring the availability of essential goods and services to the public, asserting their right to conduct business and support the economy.

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>The CAIT urged traders across India to remain vigilant and ensure the safety of their establishments and customers during the Bandh. It also advised members to cooperate with local authorities and adhere to all safety protocols to prevent any disruptions.

>On Thursday, farmer leaders held talks with Indian ministers for over five hours amid the standoff between protesters and security forces at two points of the Punjab-Haryana border.

>Addressing a press conference, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher said that farmers' union leaders assured the ministers of their "commitment to dialogue".Pandher said that a discussion was held to find a resolution to the issues.

>The farmer leader expressed concerns about the current situation which included the suspension of social media handles and teargas shelling during peaceful interactions. "We said that we are not Pakistan. We seek a peaceful solution, not confrontation. They assured us that our pages would be restarted...We assured them of our commitment to dialogue," Pandher added.

>Police have used tear gas and barricades to stop thousands of farmers from marching to New Delhi. A report by the news agency Reuters on Thursday said that more than a dozen protesters have been injured in the last two days.

>Following the meeting with the ministers on Thursday, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that the protests will continue peacefully. "We will not do anything else. We will appeal to the farmers too. When meetings are underway and we move forward (at the borders), then how will the meetings continue? They (The government) have called for a meeting, we will wait till then... On Sunday if we do not get any positive result, then (we will continue)..." Dallewal told ANI.

>Section 144 was imposed in Uttar Pradesh's Noida ahead of the Bandh. "Various programmes like protest demonstrations are proposed by SKM and various organisations for Friday. Hence, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was implemented on February 16," a police statement said.

>The police cautioned commuters going from Noida to New Delhi and coming back from the national capital of traffic diversions in Noida. The police urged Noida residents to use the metro service instead, "as far as possible", to avoid inconvenience.

(With inputs from agencies)