Lucknow, (Samajweekly) The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) supporters and farmers in several districts of western Uttar Pradesh on Friday blocked highways in support of the protesting farmers from Haryana and Punjab.
The BKU activists and farmers blocked the Yamuna Expressway by squatting on the road which led to a massive traffic jam. A wedding procession was stuck in the jam for several hours.
The blockade prevented traffic movement from Agra to Mathura.
In Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Bijnor, farmers blocked the highways disrupting traffic flow at several places.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said, “Farmers in Uttar Pradesh are fully supporting their counterparts in Punjab and Haryana and our protests will continue.”
Farmers also made an attempt to block the traffic near Sultanpur but were dispersed by the police.
A heavy deployment of forces has been made across western Uttar Pradesh to prevent farmers and the BKU activists from marching towards Delhi. Dozens of protestors have been detained.
The government spokesman said that efforts were being made to clear the highways and restore traffic movement.