Bharat bandh hits life in some states

New Delhi/Chandigarh, Dec 8

Life was disrupted in several parts of the country on Tuesday as shops and commercial establishments stayed closed, transport was affected and protesters squatted on key roads and rail tracks in response to a Bharat bandh called by farmers demanding a repeal of the new agri laws.

The nationwide shutdown was observed at 10,000 places in 25 states, claimed Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav. Emergency services were exempted and banks, too, continued operations as the pan-India shutdown, backed by most opposition parties and trade unions, rolled out noisily, but peacefully with its impact felt in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, the epicentre of the snowballing protests, as well as in states such as Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand.

In West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress joined the Congress and the Left in supporting the shutdown but stayed away from enforcing it, the response was mixed.

Life was hit in Bihar too with train tracks, highways and inner roads teeming with protesters. Train services were also affected in Odisha. In Maharashtra, wholesale markets in major cities like Pune, Nashik and Nagpur were shut. — PTI