The protesting farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, resumed their protest on the fifth day today since the 'Delhi Chalo' march began on Tuesday.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said it would further intensify its agitation in the coming days as farmers' groups, along with trade unions and others, observed 'Bharat Bandh' on Friday.

The SKM said its Punjab unit will hold a meeting in Jalandhar on Sunday, and will be followed by the meetings of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) and general body at Delhi to take stock of developments and suggest the future course of action.

The 'Bharat Bandh' inconvenienced commuters as buses stayed off the roads and markets and commercial establishments at several places across the state remained shut. The bandh passed off peacefully, according to officials.

Farmers blocked several national highways at Pathankot, Tarn Taran, Bathinda and Jalandhar, laid siege to several toll plazas and raised slogans against the Centre for not accepting their demands.

In Hisar in neighbouring Haryana, bus services of Haryana Roadways were affected as its staff supported the SKM's 'Bharat Bandh' call. The employees held a demonstration and raised slogans in support of the farmers and their demands.

However, shops and markets remained open in Kurukshetra and buses were plying normally as the bandh call failed to evoke any response.

Protests were also held in parts of western Uttar Pradesh. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait participated in a protest held at the Bagovali crossing on the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway in Muzaffarnagar.

In Bijnor, BKU members disrupted work at some sugarcane weighing centres.

In a statement on the day of Bharat Bandh, the SKM slammed the government over the security measures to stop the protesting farmers from marching towards Delhi and accused it of holding "secret talks" to keep farmers "in the dark".