Farmers throw out Jio SIMs at Delhi-Agra highway

New Delhi: As farmers' protests intensified all over the country, the Delhi-Agra Palwal border, which was blocked on December 6, in a move to boycott Reliance and Jio products, changed their sim to a different connection.

Balbeer Singh, who is a farmer from Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior had changed his sim from Jio to Airtel. Speaking about the change he said, "I am boycotting Jio, and not just me everyone here will do the same. We are going to boycott everything that is Ambani and Adani owned."

A service provider from Airtel, who was present at the protest site said that he was called by a union member saying that they want to port large numbers of sim. "Within two hours, at least 15 people changed their numbers from Jio to Airtel," he said, as 10 more people surrounded other members for the same.

"By tomorrow, anyone who has Jio sim will have changed it," Singh added. The palwal protest site, which has majority of farmers from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand also shaved their heads as a symbol of protest. "Both young and old men have shaved their heads as a symbol of protest with the farmers. We all are farmers and this is our fight," one of them said.

Meanwhile, the protesters are being taken care of by the locals, who are bringing vegetables, milk and other basic necessities. The locals, majority of whom are farmers themselves, joined the protest and continue to sit with others full time from Friday.

"We have langar from Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior gurudwara, but it is the locals here who are bringing other basic necessities for us. Chunks of vegetables and dairy products have been brought in by the locals," Sukhvir Singh, a farmer from MP said.

He added that more farmers will join them from Friday as the fight is about their right. Both sides of the roads have been blocked by the farmers as tractors and other vehicles stand blocking it.

"We want the repeal of three ordinances and nothing else. We do not get the price we want and imagine the products we sell, we have to buy them when in need at double or triple rates," Sukhvir said.

At least three borders leading up to Delhi have been blocked. "On December 12, we will also block the Jaipur-Delhi highway. Here as well more farmers are on their way. The protest is just going to intensify," farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka said. About 500 farmers from Maharashtra are also expected to reach Palwal by Friday morning.