Security stepped up ahead of Cong protests

Security was on Thursday stepped up in Gautam Budh Nagar district hit by farmers' unrest over the land acquisition issue with the administration re-clamping prohibitory orders ahead of the protests planned by Congress against the arrest of its leader Rahul Gandhi.

Security was on Thursday stepped up in Gautam Budh Nagar district hit by farmers' unrest over the land acquisition issue with the administration re-clamping prohibitory orders ahead of the protests planned by Congress against the arrest of its leader Rahul Gandhi.

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"To make sure that there is no law and order problem, we have spoken to all concerned Superintendents of Police that they don't allow any break in law and order or any chakka jam. We have given instructions," a senior police official said.

Congress activists will hold chakka jams in various parts of UP on Thursday to protest the arrest of its leader Rahul Gandhi and the state government's land acquisition policy.

Gandhi, who spent almost 19 hours at Bhatta Parasul on Wednesday, the epicentre of the farmers' agitation, was arrested under Sec 151 CrPC at around 11pm last night and was taken to the Kasna police station. He was released on bail by the Uttar Pradesh Police and brought to Delhi at 2.15am.

BJP leader Rajnath Singh will sit on a 24-hour hunger strike in Ghaziabad on Thursday to protest the Mayawati government's policies. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, her counterpart in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and NDA Convenor Sharad Yadav will lend him support and address the meeting.

Prohibitory orders, which were lifted a day before Gandhi reached Bhatta Parsaul on Wednesday, the epicentre of the agitation, has been reimposed.

Officials said curfew will be clamped if the situation so warrants.

Senior police officials said security has been stepped up in view of the Congress party's decision to organise chakka jams in the state.

After four persons, including two policemen, were killed in Saturday's clashes between police and farmers in Greater Noida, the place has turned into a political battleground for parties which have flayed the Uttar Pradesh government's land acquisition policy.

Bhatta Parsaul has been witnessing stray incidents of violence this year over the issue of land acquisition meant for various projects of the Mayawati government. The district police has arrested 22 farmers of the village.

Flaying the Mayawati government, Digvijay Singh said, "Our fight against the Mayawati government will continue. We will be happy to go to jail on farmers' issues".

At a late night press conference in Lucknow, UP Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh had said the situation in Bhatta Parsaul was calm and attempts were being made to vitiate the atmosphere there.

Singh said that prohibitory orders were re-imposed in the area after Congress leaders sought permission from the state authorities to hold a rally in the village.