Delhi Police notices sent to 20 farm leaders, reply sought within 3 days
Earlier on Wednesday, deputy commissioner of police Chinmoy Biswal had sent a notice to Sanyukt Kisan Morcha Darshan Pal asking him why action should not be taken against him and his allies
The Delhi Police has issued notices to at least 20 farmers’ leaders including Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav for breaching the agreement with police regarding the tractor rally on Republic Day, new agency ANI reported on Thursday. The protesting leaders were asked to reply within three days, the police were quoted as saying.
Baldev Singh Sirsa and Balbir S Rajewal are among the other leaders to whom the notices have been sent.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Chinmoy Biswal had sent a notice to Sanyukt Kisan Morcha Darshan Pal asking him why action should not be taken against him and his allies for not abiding by the agreement over routes to be followed during the farmers’ tractor rally on Tuesday.
Biswal wrote that despite the mutually decided terms and conditions for the rally, the farmer leaders acted irresponsibly and their wrong intent was apparent on January 25 itself “when militant component of protesting farmers and fabricated tractors, who were on the rear of the dharna were brought forward at Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur borders.”
The notices come in the backdrop of violence that erupted in the national capital as several farm union groups defied the time conditions stated by the Delhi Police for the tractor rally. The farmers who were allotted the time slot between noon and 5pm to conduct the parade started over an hour earlier and entered central Delhi despite the police warning them against it.
As the protesting farmers stormed into the Capital breaking barricades, clashes broke out between them and the cops, resulting in the death of one protester while several policemen were injured. The police has registered over 25 cases, including those of rioting and criminal conspiracy, in connection with the violence and 19 people have been arrested and about 50 detained, officials said.
Following the chaos one faction of Bharatiya Kisan Union has withdrawn its protest. Farmers' unions have also cancelled their proposed Parliament march on February 1. However, they said their agitation will continue and their next plan includes hunger strikes across the country on January 30.
