The agitating farmers in India got support from London as thousands of people protested in central London on Sunday over the Indian government’s agricultural reforms that have triggered a massive demonstration by farmers. Several people were arrested by the police for violating COVID-19 rules, news agency PTI reported.

As per the reports, several police officers in face masks asked people to disperse from the “We stand with farmers of Punjab” demonstration, having warned that strict regulations remain in place to help prevent the spread of coronavirus and therefore demonstrations of larger than 30 risk arrests and fines.

Advertisement

“Our High Commission has been coordinating closely with the authorities concerned and we will, together with them, address the issues that have come up – for example how this gathering of thousands could take place without specific permission,” an Indian High Commission spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to visit the Delhi-Haryana border today to review arrangements made for protesting farmers camping there, officials said.

Delhi CM will visit the Singhu border along with his cabinet members at 10 am, they said.

Kejriwal is among the several opposition leaders who have extended support for “Bharat bandh”, which has been called for by the thousands of protesting farmers.

“The Aam Aadmi Party fully supports the Bharat Bandh call made by farmers on 8 December. AAP workers across the country will support it peacefully. There is an appeal to all countrymen that everyone should support the farmers and participate in it,” Kejriwal had tweeted.

Yesterday, Congress had also expressed its whole-hearted support to the ‘Bharat Bandh’ called on December 8 by farmer unions.

The representatives of thousands of agitating farmers have said their call for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on December 8 would be observed with full force.

Coming out in support of the farmers, the Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera while addressing the media at the AICC headquarters said, “I would also like to announce that the Congress party extends its whole-hearted support to the Bharat Bandh on December 8.”

Protests are underway at both the Singhu and Tikri borders, where farmers had gathered from Punjab and Haryana for more than 10 days.

The protesting farmers and the centre will meet for the sixth round of talks on Wednesday as the successive rounds of talks failed to bring out any conclusive results.

After the Saturday’s meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said that a new proposal would be placed before the farmers after discussions within the government.

The centre has offered to amend sections of the laws, but the farmers, thousands of whom are camped out around Delhi’s borders and have threatened a blockade of the national capital – insist they must be scrapped.