MUMBAI (INDIA) – Hours before farmers in India imposed a nation-wide road blockade on Saturday seeking a repeal of controversial agricultural laws, the UN human rights office urged Indian authorities and protesting farmers to show “maximum restraint”.
For more than two months, tens of thousands of farmers have been camping outside the national capital of New Delhi, blocking major roads and carrying out agitations against the laws which they say benefit large private buyers.
By and large, the protests have been peaceful. But a tractor rally on Jan. 26 created a turmoil as some agitators clashed with police in New Delhi.
Since the incident, authorities have shut down internet in certain areas of the capital and barricaded roads to prevent farmers from coming into the city.
“The rights to peaceful assembly & expression should be protected both offline & online,” tweeted the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights late on Friday.
“It’s crucial to find equitable solutions with due respect to #HumanRights for all.”
Starting around noon, farmers are slated to block roads across the country except in New Delhi and a couple of neighbouring states.
Although the protests are spearheaded by the rice and wheat-growing community in north India, support for them has been growing across the country.
