The visibility of farmers at the Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana), where they have been sitting in protest since November 26 last year, was very low on Monday.
Around two and half km long stretch of the Delhi-Karnal highway (at Singhu village) where a large number of farmers used to be seen, but on Monday, the Bharat Bandh day, the numbers were less. The road, in fact, was almost empty.
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Tractor-trolleys that had become homes for the protesting farmers for over eight months are at the place but the number of people seems to have gone down.
Also, the stages at Singhu (one towards the Delhi side and another towards the Haryana side) were almost empty.
Jagdish Singh, a farmer from Ludhiana (Punjab), said the trolleys were vacant because people went to block roads at Tikri and Delhi-Haryana border.
“At present very few people are visible here because they are at Delhi-Haryana road and at Tikri. By evening the situation will be different and more and more people will be seen here, Jagdish Singh said, who was busy preparing food for the protesters.
The few, who were at the Singhu protest site, were seen busy either preparing food or cleaning their tents.
Some of them attended the morning prayer held at the stages.
The security at outer premises of the Singhu protest site have been strengthened with multiple teams of the Delhi Police and central forces deployed.
Three police barricades put up after January 26, this (towards Delhi) were continued to be at the places. People going towards Singhu from Delhi have to take a long route as entry on the Delhi-Karnal road (at Singhu village) has been prohibited.
“More security personnel have been deployed here today because of farmers’ call for Bharat Bandh. Not only here (Singhu), but the security at all borders of Delhi was strengthened soon after the call for the shutdown was announced,” said a Delhi Police personnel deployed at Singhu border.