Chhavi Bhatia
New Delhi—To mark the completion of 100 days of their protest on the outskirts of Delhi, farmers blocked the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal(KMP) Expressway for five hours on Saturday. Thousands of farmers sat on the road in sizzling heat carrying black flags and wearing black badges and black dupattas in response to the clarion call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha(SKM), the umbrella body of farmers unions spearheading the agitation. The peasants blocked the six-lane highway from 11 AM to 4PM, allowing movement of only emergency vehicles before traffic was resumed in the evening.

Protesting against the controversial agriculture laws and demanding their repeal, thousands of farmers including women raised slogans against the Centre for not accepting their demands. Protesters from Sonipat and Jhajjar districts in Haryana blocked some part of the KMP, also known as the Western Peripheral Expressway with tractors too. “The government has turned deaf towards our plight. We are equally obstinate and won’t end this movement till the laws are rolled back,” Jagir Singh Dahiya, a farmer from Palwal said. Similar protests were held in Punjab and Haryana by farmers who are holding the sit-ins in the states.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait warned of intensifying such measures unless the Centre acceded to their demands of repealing the three farm laws. “Like Delhi borders, KMP can also be blocked completely. Today was a trial for five hours,” he said.