Bharat Bandh: Protesting farmers to meet Amit Shah at 7 pm, a day before sixth round of talks

A Bharat Bandh, or a countrywide shutdown, has been called by the farmers who are protesting against the new agricultural laws on Tuesday from 11 am to 3 pm.

The farmers will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah at 7 pm, as five rounds of talks have failed to break the impasse so far. Another round of negotiations is scheduled for Wednesday.

Protestors in Delhi blocked the expressway to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. Demonstrators in West Bengal and Maharashtra stopped trains, and in Gujarat, groups blocked three highways.

The Aam Aadmi Party, meanwhile, alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was put under house arrest by the police after he went to meet the farmers at Singhu border on Monday.

Farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting against the laws for nearly two months. The situation escalated twelve days ago, when thousands marched to the Capital, where they clashed with police who used tear gas, water cannons and batons against them. The farmers have since camped along Delhi borders, saying they won’t leave until the government rolls back the legislations.