Bharat bandh: Mixed response in Lakhimpur district, 12 picketers arrested

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: The Bharat bandh, called on Monday by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions, received mixed response in Lakhimpur district. SKM called the agitational programme to mark one year of the passage of the Centre's three contentious farm laws. The bandh was supported by major opposition parties including the Congress, BSP, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party, Left parties and Swaraj India. The laws are— The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act. Notably, the Supreme Court on January 12 stayed the implementation of these controversial farm laws, calling its order "extraordinary" and a "victory for fair play". The stay on their implementation means the Centre, for the time being, cannot proceed with any executive actions to enforce the laws.

In Lakhimpur, the activists of the district unit of Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) and its brother-sister organizations— All India Democratic Students' Organization (AIDSO), All India Democratic Youth Organization (AIDYO), All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan (AIMSS) carried out picketing from 6:00am at various places in order to make the bandh successful.

They took out a protest rally in North Lakhimpur town from their district office premises at Sukulibhoria. During the rally, police prevented the protesters from further proceeding at Main Chariali of North Lakhimpur town and arrested 12 activists of the organizations and detained them at North Lakhimpur Police Station. The protesters shouted slogans to scrap the three contentious farm laws and the Electricity Bill—2020.

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