Farmers protesting against the Centre’s contentious farm laws are locked in a face-off with the police at the Ghazipur border, as Uttar Pradesh decided to take action two days after the violence during the Republic Day tractor rally. The local administration has asked the farmers to end their protest and vacate the road by January 28 night. But the farmers have refused to budge, with farmer leader Rakesh Tikait declaring that he is “ready to face bullets” if needed.
The other two key borders — Tikri and the epicenter of farmers’ protests, Singhu — have been placed under heavy security. The police have dug up roads, using JCB machines.
“The Supreme Court has justified the peaceful sit-in,” Rakesh Tikait told reporters. “There has been no violence on the Ghazipur border. Despite this, the government is adopting a repressive policy. It is the face of the Uttar Pradesh government,” he said.
Massive police deployment has been made in the area and the Rapid Action Force has been called in. The administration has cut off power and water supply to the hundreds of farmers, who have been camping out on the roads. The Ghazipur border had been sealed since the farmers started their “Delhi Chalo” protest on November 26.
A huge security build-up has started at the Delhi-Haryana border in Singhu border. But despite the huge police presence, tension rose as a group of 100 people managed to get past the security cordon and demanded that the farmers be evicted.
The intruders raised “Jai Shri Ram slogans”. In several protest sites of Uttar Pradesh, farmers have been told to go. On Wednesday night, the Baghpat administration got a protest site vacated in the district, but denied using force. “The elderly people, including a mentally unsound person, were sent to their homes,” said Baghpat Additional District Magistrate Amit Kumar Singh.
The Baghpat administration said it got the area vacated after receiving a request from the National Highways Authority of India, over its pending construction work. In smaller protest sites at Mathura and Fatehpur, protesters were told to go as well.
In Haryana — another BJP-ruled state — farmers who had been protesting for nearly two months in Karnal, were told to leave. The locals gave them a 24-hour ultimatum, saying they were facing inconvenience because of the protests.
The Haryana Police has also been trying to get back the control of highway toll plazas, which had been over-run by the farmers. The farmers had taken over the plazas since the “Delhi Chalo” protests started, ensuring free passage to everyone.
The farmers have said the violence on Republic Day was the result of a conspiracy to malign them.
