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Delhi Jantar Mantar farmers protest: Massive security, barricades at Delhi borders ahead of 'mahapanchayat' | Top points
Farmer groups called a 'mahapanchayat' in Delhi over the rising unemployment in the country. This comes days after a demonstration in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri against union minister Ajay Mishra, and his son Ashish.
Scores of farmers arrived in the national capital to participate in a ‘mahapanchayat’ organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and other farmer groups at Jantar Mantar on Monday to protest against the rising unemployment in the country. The Delhi Police has made elaborate security arrangements – put up barricades and deployed huge numbers of personnel in border areas – to avoid untoward incidents.
Ahead of the protest, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait was detained by the Delhi Police while he was entering the national capital, he claimed in a tweet. Tikait also said that farmers will not back down by such ‘arrests’.
Massive police deployment was seen at Singhu border near Haryana, which has been a tension point for farmers' protests in the past. Police were seen barricading all border roads of Delhi with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as they stopped and checked vehicles passing through.
Here are the top developments:
- A “fool-proof law and order arrangement” and adequate deployment of local police and outside force has been made in Delhi's outer district of Singhu and Tikri border, major intersections, along the railway tracks and metro station to avoid any untoward incident, the police said.
- Monday's stir comes days after the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson led a demonstration in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri against union minister Ajay Mishra, and his son Ashish – a top accused in the farmers' killing in the Lakhimpur area last year.
- Farmers are expected to pass through the jurisdiction of the outer district, including Ghazipur border in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.
- Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory requesting commuters to avoid roads including Janpath, Outer Circle of Connaught Place, Ashoka Road, Sansad Marg, Tolstoy Marg, Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Pandit Pant Marg for convenience.
- Metro has been put on high alert as well, police said, and additional security forces will be deployed there.
- Rakesh Tikait on Monday tweeted that he was stopped by police personnel at Ghazipur border on his way to Jantar Mantar and was asked to go back. When he didn't budge, he was detained, Tikait claimed, sharing pictures of him at the police station. Delhi minister Gopal Rai also condemned the detention calling it a ‘despicable’ move.
