Indian farmers plan nationwide 3-hour blockade of highways as govt announce active Covid-9 cases go below 150,000

People raise their hands as they attend a Maha Panchayat or grand village council meeting as part of a farmers' protest against farm laws at Bhainswal in Shamli district in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, February 5, 2021. - Reuters

NEW DELHI, Feb 5 (AP): Tens of thousands of protesting Indian farmers plan to blockade highways across the country for three hours Saturday to press their demands for the repeal of new agricultural laws.

Authorities deployed thousands of security forces mainly outside India’s capital, where farmers have camped at three main sites for more than two months. They say they won’t leave until the government rolls back the laws it says are necessary to modernize Indian agriculture.