NEW DELHI – Dozens of farmers squatted on railway tracks in northern India on Friday to mark four months of a campaign against the opening up of agriculture produce markets to private players.
Since last year, thousands of farmers camped on the outskirts of New Delhi saying new farm laws enacted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will leave them at the mercy of big corporations.
Farm unions called for a 12-hour nationwide shutdown to keep up the pressure on the Modi government.
Across the northern states of Haryana and Punjab, protesters blocked railway tracks at 32 locations, leading to the cancellation of at least four passenger trains.
At a major protest camp in Delhi’s Ghazipur, protesters blocked a highway connecting the capital city with neighbouring Uttar Pradesh state.(Reuters)
