Sonepat/Ghaziabad/Gurugram/Noida: Areas in and around the National Capital Region saw a peaceful four-hour-long rail roko movement by farmers protesting against the Centre's three agri laws. Most regions saw peaceful railway track blockades, with even Railways officials saying the movement did not result in any untoward incidents.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, under whose banner farm unions are leading the agitation against the three laws, was heading the protest at Sonepat, where farmers from nearby villages also joined in and blocked railway tracks.
"Everything we do is going to be peaceful. We will just sit here peacefully and any train comes, we will block them," a farmer from Sonepat said.
On being asked whether that will create issues for the passengers, another farmer said that no sort of disturbance or nuisance will be tolerated and that everything will be eased down for the passengers. "We have brought sweets and eatables for anyone who wants to eat. The passengers need not worry. Whatever we are doing, we are doing it for our rights," Virendra Singh, another farmer from Sonepat said.
Meanwhile, locals in the area also came out in support of the protest. "Our farmers have been sitting peacefully on the tracks for quite some time and the least we can do is come in solidarity," Honey, a resident said. The farmers sat and raised slogans, blocking the tracks.
The rail roko protest had largely taken over railway tracks in the states of Punjab and Haryana, in addition to isolated protests across the country in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and many other states.
In Haryana's Palwal, the rail roko protest was a success with a large number of volunteers participating. Taking note of the violence that was reported on January 26, the agitators were careful. The protests started at 12:00 pm and ended at 4:00 pm as discussed. Not only in Palwal but agitators were able to make an impact in other cities of Bahadurgarh, Rohtak and Kurukshetra.
In Gurugram, farmers protested at the Patli railway station 18 kilometres from Gurugram city. Being a small railway station where not many trains pass by, there were fewer agitators that came for the protest and the crowds ultimately thinned out before 4:00 pm.
"I want to say that it is not the crowd that matters but the intent. We knew that we had come to protest at a small station where no trains pass by but we wanted to make a point and register our protest in support of farmers and workers of our country," said Mahender, one of the protesters.
In Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar also the protest was peaceful on Thursday; except for in certain areas of Modinagar and Dankaur stations. Otherwise, the effect of the stir was negligible in both the districts. As per an official at Ghaziabad station, the Haridwar bound Utkal express was halted at the station as farmers in Modinagar had blocked the rail line. In the Dankaur railway station of Greater Noida, protesting farmers halted the Bihar bound Darbhanga Express for nearly half an hour around 2 pm. Fruits and lassi were distributed to passengers boarded in the trains that had been blocked by the farmers.
However, trains scheduled to reach Narela were stopped at the Sonepat blockade. According to a senior police officer, the trains scheduled to arrive at Narela were stopped by the protesting farmers in Haryana's Sonepat.
"One train was stopped from crossing here, while there has been no other movement," a local at the protest said.