Band of protesters turn up at Delhi’s Ghazipur, detained in 30 minutes

The senior officers said the farmers belonged to Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU’s) Mahatma faction and were led by faction head Anil Talhan

After remaining devoid of protests and protesters for three days since February 13, when a clutch of farmer unions had given a call to “march to Delhi” to press their numerous demands, the heavily barricaded UP Gate/Ghazipur border near east Delhi finally saw some action on Thursday, after about 30-30 farmers from Uttar Pradesh reached there and staged a brief sit-in protest. They also managed to raise a few slogans before the Uttar Pradesh Police bundled them into a bus and took them away, police officers aware of the development said.

Police said the farmers were taken to Kaushambi police station and released in two hours. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The senior officers said the farmers belonged to Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU’s) Mahatma faction and were led by faction head Anil Talhan.

All protesters were taken to the Kaushambi police station from where they were released two hours later after completion of formalities. No case was registered in connection with the protest, said assistant commissioner of police (Ghaziabad) Swatantra Kumar Singh.

Senior officers, however, said security at the UP Gate border and also within the city limits was stepped up following the incident and also in view of Friday’s “Grameen Bharat Bandh (nationwide rural strike)”, announced by farmers and trade unions. No advisory regarding traffic curbs or security arrangements was issued by the Ghaziabad police.

The sudden arrival of farmers at the border point around 2pm on Thursday caught the personnel of Uttar Pradesh Police and the Delhi Police by surprise. The farmers’ brief protest took place just as Delhi Police was preparing for a drill on the Delhi side of the border, behind the multilayered blockades, said a senior Delhi Police officer present at the border, asking not to be named.

Soon after the incident, security arrangements were tightened at the Ghazipur border and other key Delhi-Haryana border points, such as Singhu, Tikri and Sirhaul. The checking of vehicles was also intensified and due to which vehicular movement was affected and snarls were reported from near the border. Police personnel present at Delhi-Gurugram border near Sirhaul installed metal spikes on one service lane near the Ambience mall to deter protesters.

Delhi Police has also procured nearly 30,000 tear gas shells to be used if and when required. “Every district has its own share of tear gas shells depending on the topography. For instance, districts such as New Delhi, south-east and north-east have more numbers of tear gas shells as compared to others because protests usually take place there,” a second officer said, asking not to be named.

(With inputs from Hemani Bhandari and Jignasa Sinha)