Baramulla: A complete shutdown was observed in the important fruit mandi at Sopore, here in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, on Tuesday to support the Bharat Bandh called by farmers.
President of the fruit mandi, Fayaz Ahmad Malik, said that all business activities, transport, and shops in the wholesale market, which is Asia’s second largest for fruits, were closed to support Indian farmers who want the Modi government to roll back three farm laws recently passed in Indian Parliament.
Malik appealed to the government of India to withdraw the new farm laws which he said were completely against the interests of farmers.
Malik said that not only the fruit mandi Sopore but all the mandis in Srinagar and Anantnag also observed a shutdown in support of farmers.
Farmers’ unions and several political and social organisations across India had called for a countrywide shutdown on Tuesday to protest the new farm laws.
In Sopore, fruit growers, traders, transporters and other people associated with the fruit business have already been protesting the stopping of fruit-carrying trucks on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in the name of checking or traffic management. Several shutdowns have been observed in protest this year on the issue.

Mushtaq Ahamd