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Farmer leader Naresh Tikait says protest will end today, brother Rakesh says will continue agitation
The farmers' agitation had received a jolt when the protesters who took part in a tractor rally wreaked havoc on the roads of Delhi on Republic Day.
Naresh Tikait, the leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), said on Thursday that the over two-month-long farmers' agitation will end today.
Tikait made the announcement in Muzaffarnagar, in Uttar Pradesh.
However, his brother and BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said he will continue the sit-in protest at the Ghazipur border.
"We'll continue our sit-in protest and will not vacate site till talks with government are held. Administration has removed basic facilities including water and electricity supply. We'll get water from our villages," Rakesh Tikait said.
The development comes amid a notice from the Ghaziabad administration to the farmers to end their protest.
"A notice has been served to them (farmers) under Section 133 of CrPC (conditional order for removal of nuisance)," news agency ANI quoted Ghaziabad ADM, City, Shailendra Kumar Singh as saying.
The notice said if protesters do not act as per the order and immediately leave the protest site, they will be forcefully evacuated. The police have been deployed at the protest site.
The administration also accused the farmers of creating nuisance in the area saying that people, especially patients, are facing difficulties due to the protest. The government authorities also said that the protesters are not following any Covid-19 protocol which has put the people living in the area at risk of contracting the coronavirus disease.
The situation is tense at the Ghazipur border. Prashant Kumar, Additional Director General (Law and Order), said the police personnel have been deployed at UP gate to look that "anti-national elements" do not infiltrate the protests.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Traffic Police informed that the Ghazipur border is closed on both sides.
"Traffic is diverted from Road no 56, Akshardham and Nizammudin Khatta. Please avoid NH 9 and NH 24 and take an alternate route via Chilla, DND, Apsara, Bhopra and Loni borders," it said in a tweet.
The farmers' agitation had received a jolt when the protesters who took part in a tractor rally wreaked havoc on the roads of Delhi on Republic Day. The police said that the farmers had promised to carry out their rally - in protest against the three central farm laws - on approved routes, but deviated from it and marched towards central Delhi.
Scenes of protesters thrashing policemen, vandalising buses and running after on-duty cops with swords in hand sent shockwaves across the country. A group of protesters stormed the historic Red Fort and even hoisted a flag from its ramparts.
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The police have accused farmer leaders of breaking promises and making provocative speeches which led to the violence. Nearly 400 policemen were injured in Tuesday's chaos.
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
