'India Closed' is the chant as huge demonstrations by farmers occupy cities in a revolt against free-market reforms

Approximately 300,000 farmers mainly from the largely rural states of Punjab and Haryana have arrived in the capital and its outskirts.

Source: The Telegraph

Community leaders told protesters at the Delhi-Haryana border that it had made the government "open their eyes and ears" and that they would now be seeking a "yes or no" to their demands.

Source: The Times of India

Modi said: "I know that decades of falsehood do put apprehensions in the minds of farmers, I want to say this from the bank of Mother Ganga — we are not working with the intention of deceiving. Our intentions are as holy as the water of the river Ganga."

The majority of the protests are taking place at the Delhi-Haryana border in the north of India but also in other parts of the country.

Source: Vox

All of the demonstrations across the country were organized by 'Sikhs For Justice,' a US-based human advocacy organisation which supports the secession of historical Punjab from India as Khalistan.

Sikhs make up the majority of Punjab which is the richest state in India due to its agricultural industry but have been historically persecuted and discriminated against by the Indian government.

Source: Sikhs for Justice

According to the Sikh Federation UK, there was one arrest during the official protest and 13 outside that time, four of whom were dearrested and nine of whom were detained for COVID-19 breaches.

Led by the Sikh Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, 36 MPs across the UK have come out in support of the farmers and asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to raise the matter with Delhi.

There were also protests in Leicester, Birmingham and Edinburgh recently with plans for one to be held in Cardiff in the near future.

Source: Times of India

It followed his response to a question posed by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday.

He asked: "Will the Prime Minister convey to the Indian prime minister our heartfelt anxieties, our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current deadlock, and does he agree that everyone has a fundamental right to peaceful protest?"

Johnson said: "Our view is that of course we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan, but these are pre-eminently matters for those two governments to settle."

Jas Singh, a Sikh Federation UK Advisor, told Business Insider: "I'm absolutely shocked and dismayed. How could the Prime Minister who visited Gurdwaras as part of his election campaign not be in tune with one of the largest protests in the country?

"It's complete ignorance of Sikh issues. Everyone just assumes that everything anti-India is to do with Pakistan."

He made the remarks during a Facebook video interaction organised by Canadian MP Bardish Chagger to mark Gurupurab or the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the Founder of Sikhism.

The Canadian Prime Minister said: "I would be remiss if I didn't start by recognising the news coming from India about the protest by farmers. The situation is concerning. We are all very worried about family and friends. We know that's a reality for many of you.

"Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protesters. We believe in the process of dialogue. We've reached out through multiple means to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns. This is a moment for all of us to pull together."

However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: "We have seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India.

"Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country. It's also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes."

Trudeau later added: "Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protest anywhere around the world. And we're pleased to see moves toward de-escalation and dialogue."

Sources: The Globe and Mail, The New Indian Express, Reuters

They continue to protest throughout the cold harsher months as well as the COVID-19 pandemic which has killed 142,186 Indians.

This makes it the country with the third-highest death rate in the world after the US's nearly 300,000 and Brazil's 179,765 deaths.

Source: Johns Hopkins University

Volunteers have also been donating blood with 300 also lined up outside a donation van in Tikri, Delhi on Wednesday alone.

Source: The Indian Express

One image in particular, featuring a soldier and a farmer went viral and was also tweeted by Rahul Gandhi, a prominent Indian MP and a former President of the Indian National Congress Party.

He captioned it:"This is a very sad photo. Our slogan was Jai Jawan (soldiers), Jai Kisan (farmers), but today PM Modi's arrogance has pitted the soldier against the farmer. This is very dangerous."

Amit Malviya, the Head of the BJP's Information & Technology Department responded to the tweet by posting a video clip of the scene which was flagged as 'manipulated media' by Twitter.

He said: "Rahul Gandhi must be the most discredited opposition leader India has seen in a long long time."

However, the elderly farmer from the photo later told local media outlets that he had indeed been hit multiple times by authorities.

Source: NDTV

Known for her controversial comments on various issues, Ranaut suggested that the farmers protesting were actually paid actors.

The actress also replied to a tweet and said that those supporting protesters were provoking "innocent farmers to incite violence, hatred and Bharat Band for their petty gains."

She continued that people like actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh would be hailed by the left wing media.

Ranaut also added that they would both go on to be awarded in a system designed to make anti-nationalists flourish.

Many celebrities have been accused of not speaking out on the issue, particularly those who have benefitted from Punjabi culture.

Jas Singh from the Sikh Federation UK also told Business Insider: "It's a matter of great shame that those who have taken from Punjab have not shown solidarity in its hour of need.

"Anyone who has benefitted from the land of Punjab and Maa Boli (the mother tongue, Punjabi) through films and music has an obligation and a duty to speak out."

Around 40% of the country's total population work within the agricultural sector but it is also an industry underlined by poverty.

India has one of the highest farmer suicide rates in the world with 10,282 farmer and farm laborer deaths by suicide in 2019 alone.

Sources: The Guardian, The New York Times, Johns Hopkins University