Chandigarh/New Delhi: Farmers protesting against the Centre’s new agriculture laws and other issues blocked roads at several places in the country, including in Punjab and Haryana between 12 noon and 3 pm on Saturday in response to the call given by the farmers’ unions for a nationwide ‘chakka jam’.The unions had announced the plan on Monday, saying national and state highways would be blocked to protest the Internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities and other issues.The police have stepped up security and made arrangements for traffic diversion, said officials, adding adequate police personnel were deployed in Punjab and Haryana.Protesting farmers owing allegiance to different farmers’ bodies blocked state and national highways at several places, causing inconvenience to commuters.Also read: Farmers’ ‘Chakka Jam’: Delhi Police to Monitor Social Media for ‘Rumours’Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), said they are holding road blockades at 33 places in 15 districts, including Sangrur, Barnala and Bathinda in Punjab.In the morning, farmers started assembling at their earmarked protest sites for chakka jam in both states.“Elders and youth have gathered here to participate in chakka jam. It will be peaceful,” a protestor said at the Punjab-Haryana border in Shambhu near Ambala.“We want that the government should repeal these three laws as they are not in the interest of the farming community,” said another protestor.Protesting farmers said emergency vehicles, including ambulances and school buses, will be allowed during the chakka jam.Closures in DelhiIn Delhi, entry and exit facilities at several prominent metro stations were temporarily closed on Saturday in view of the chakka jam. Although farmers made it clear that they would not block roads in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand as part of the chakka jam, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in a series of tweets conveyed about station closures at Mandi House, ITO, Delhi Gate, and Vishwavidyalaya stations.Security personnel stand near barricades ahead of the proposed chakka jam by farmers, during their ongoing agitation against Centres farm reform laws, at Ghazipur border in New Delhi, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. Photo: PTI.“Entry/exit gates of Lal Quila, Jama Masjid, Janpath and Central Secretariat are closed. Interchange facility is available,” the DMRC added in a tweet.The Delhi police said in the wake of Republic Day violence, elaborate security arrangements were made at the city borders to prevent any troublemakers from entering the national capital.Around 50 people were detained near Shaheedi Park in central Delhi on Saturday for allegedly holding a protest in support of the chakka jam, police said.Roads were blocked in Haryana, Punjab, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana and many other states.Mohali: Protesters blocked Ambala-Chandigarh Highway at Dapper Toll Plaza as part of nationwide ‘Chakka Jam’ earlier today pic.twitter.com/oB17Yw7au0— ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2021#WATCH | Haryana: Farmers blocking Palwal-Agra Highway at Atohan Chowk near Palwal as part of their country-wide ‘Chakka Jaam’ make way for an ambulance. pic.twitter.com/HguODNX39f— ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2021Farmers and leaders of various political parties held ‘raasta roko’ programmes in various parts of Telangana. The Congress and Left party workers staged dharnas on various highways across the state. Police intervened and cleared the traffic, saying several people were taken into preventive custody.Internet suspended againThe Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered the suspension of internet services at Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders of Delhi, where farmers have been protesting against the new farm laws, for 24 hours till Saturday night in the wake of their ‘chakka jam’ call, officials said.Apart from the three sites, internet services will remain suspended in their adjoining areas too till 23:59 hours on February 6.The decision has been taken to ‘maintain public safety and averting public emergency’ under Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules 2017, a home ministry official said.Earlier, the suspension of internet services was ordered at Singhu, Ghazipur, and Tikri borders and their adjoining areas from 11 PM on January 29 and was effective till 11 pm on January 31, which was further extended till February 2.Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) protest during the ‘chakka jam’ by farmer unions in Ranchi, February 6, 2021. Photo: PTI‘Time until October 2’Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said that the government has time until October 2 this year to repeal the three farm laws. “After this, we will do further planning. We won’t hold discussions with the government under pressure,” he said according to news agency ANI.Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.(With PTI inputs)