Mixed response to Bharat Bandh

• Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, the epicentre
• 3,400 fuel pumps closed in Punjab
• Railway tracks blocked in WB, Bihar and Odisha
• Mandis were closed in Rajasthan
• Social activist Anna Hazare goes on daylong fast
• Chhattisgarh wore a deserted look

New Delhi: Shops and commercial establishments were closed, transport affected and traffic disrupted as protesters squatted on roads and train tracks in several parts of the country on Tuesday in response to a 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmers demanding a repeal of the new agri laws. The protest evoked mixed response across the country with impact visible in non-BJP ruled States.

Emergency services were exempted and banks, too, continued operations as the pan-India shutdown, backed by most opposition parties and many trade unions, came into effect with the maximum impact expected in states such as Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, the epicentre of the snowballing protests.

Security was stepped up across the country, noisy demonstrations were held in many places and the numbers swelled at Delhi's border points where thousands of farmers have been camping for the last 11 days. Protesters blocked railway tracks at several places in West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha.

In the national capital Delhi, where most main markets were open but app-based cabs off the roads, tension spiralled with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that Delhi Police had put Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under house arrest. City police denied the claim

All India Kisan Sabha general secretary Hannan Mollah described the shutdown as a show of strength by the farmers. "We are standing by our demand that we want a complete repeal of the three laws and will not accept any cosmetic changes… If our demands are not met, we are ready to take our agitation to the next level," Mollah said.

The protesting farmers fear the new laws will pave the way for eliminating the safety of the Minimum Support Price cushion and do away with 'mandis', leaving them at the mercy of big corporates. The government maintains the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.

Farmers from Punjab and also Haryana have been the drivers of the movement. In Punjab, shops and commercial establishments were closed as were 3,400 fuel pumps. From morning, farmer leaders appealed to shopkeepers and traders to keep their shutters down. In neighbouring BJP-JJP ruled Haryana, opposition parties Congress and Indian National Lok Dal extended their support.