Farmers’ leaders get notice of Rs 50 lakh in UP; ‘clerical error’, says police, but farmers say won’t comply

Days after notices were sent to six farmers’ leaders in Sambhal, mainly office-bearers of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Asli) by UP’s Sambhal district administration to submit personal bonds of Rs 50 lakh each to prevent them from “inciting” farmers to join protests against the farm laws, UP Police said the amount was “a clerical error” and reduced it to Rs 50,000 each.

But the leaders said the notice itself is a means to “throttle democratic protest”.

The notices were served to Bharatiya Kisan Union (Asli) district president Rajpal Singh Yadav and farmer leaders Jaiveer Singh, Brahmachari Yadav, Satendra Yadav, Raudas and Veer Singh. They have been organising protests in the district over the Centre's three contentious farm legislations, as per an NDTV report.

"We've got a report from the Hayatnagar police station that some persons are inciting farmers and there can be breach of peace, and they should be asked to fill personal bonds of Rs 50 lakh each," Subdivisional Magistrate Deependra Yadav was quoted as saying.

After the farmers protested, the police station incharge gave another report and they were asked to submit personal bonds of Rs 50,000 each, according to Yadav.

"We'll not fill the bonds come what may," BKU (Asli) leader Rajpal Singh Yadav said. "They can hang us or send us to jail. We're fighting for the rights of farmers."

BKU (Asli) division president Sanjeev Gandhi said none of them or their family members had signed on the bonds. "We're doing peaceful protests, not any crime," he added.