Farmers join protests against Agnipath, lay siege to toll plazas in Haryana

Protesting against the 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme of the Union government, farmers under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) laid siege to toll plazas in several districts of Haryana on Monday.

The protests continued from noon till 3pm peacefully, allowing free movement of vehicles from the tolls across the state amid heavy police deployment.

The protesters freed the Makrauli Kalan toll plaza on Rohtak-Panipat national highway, Ramayana toll plaza on Hisar-Rohtak highway, besides two others in Sonepat, and threatened to launch a stir if the scheme is not rolled back.

Similar protests were witnessed at toll plazas in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Karnal districts. However, the facility remained open at Bastara in Karnal despite farmers protesting at a corner on NH-44.

Gharaunda DSP Manoj Kumar said, "Farmers were allowed to protest, but the toll plaza remained operational. They were told to not disrupt toll functioning and harm public property in any way."

BKU's Yamunanagar district president Sanju Gudiana said, "Milk Majra toll plaza was made free for movement in protest against the anti-youth decision. In the name of regular jobs, the government has given a four-year temporary job, which is a joke."

Union's national president Gurnam Singh Charuni thanked the residents for a "successful protest" and said, "A meeting of all protesting organisations will be held on Wednesday at 11am in Sampla."

Muted Bharat Bandh

During the morning hours, Haryana Roadways transport facilities remained hit in Rohtak after several organisations called for 'Bharat Bandh'.

A few buses plied from Rohtak but many passengers remained stranded. The armed forces aspirants blocked roads in Hisar, Fatehabad and Rohtak, which led to traffic jams.

However, the situation remained normal in all other areas of Haryana and all business establishments largely remained open in the state.

Drivers and conductors of the Haryana Roadways said they have been directed to take precautionary measures in the wake of protests.

At railway stations in Ambala and Karnal, police personnel remained on their toes throughout the day. Passengers from several eastern states remained stuck, as scores of trains continued to remain cancelled.

Ambala police, meanwhile, registered a case against a man under charges of issuing provocative statements with an intent to cause riot, after he allegedly appealed to burn buses in a WhatsApp group.