UP police camping in villages to prevent farmers from joining the protests in NCR, say farmer leaders

Even as the farmers intensified their agitation demanding repeal of the three farm laws, the Yogi government has asked officials of districts neighbouring Delhi to stop movement of farmers from Uttar Pradesh to join the dharna in the national capital region (NCR).

Dharampal, a senior BKU leader told this reporter that farmers are being stopped from marching towards NCR. The police have come to various villages in Meerut district asking villagers not to move out of the village limits. “The police in Aad, Afzalpur Pawati and Ajnauli villages of Meerut tehsil have prevented movement of villagers,” he said.

“We are getting similar reports from Atta, Badauli and Bajidpur villages in Noida, and Achheja, Ajayabpur, Akalpur Jagir and Amka villages in Dadri tehsil. Thousands of BKU workers are being stopped in many other villages,” he said, adding that many villagers wanted to supply milk and other essentials to agitating farmers but this supply line too is being blocked.

Rampal, another BKU leader, said that all the farmers want to go to Singhu border which is now the focal point of the protests, but the UP Government is forcibly preventing the movement of farmers. By posting police forces at the villages, the Yogi government is playing with fire, he said.

“It seems BJP leadership has not learnt its lesson. It is time and again provoking farmers. The result would be very detrimental,” he added.

A senior leader of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Suresh Chaudhry said that in Ghaziabad, the local police have closed the routes on NH-9 and NH-24 from Ghaziabad to Delhi. On NH-1, both sides of the route have been closed near Shani Mandir.

“Earlier, the Ghazipur border on NH-24 was closed from Ghaziabad towards Delhi due to the farmers’ protests and people were advised to avoid NH-24 but now this also has been closed,” he said, and added that at the Chilla border, one carriageway — from Delhi to Noida — has been opened for traffic. However, the other carriageway — from Noida to Delhi — is still closed.

BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said, "Farmers in Uttar Pradesh are fully supporting their counterparts in Punjab and Haryana and our protests will continue."

He claimed that farmers in western UP districts including Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Hapur, Shamli, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Noida, Moradabad and Saharanpur also witnessed sit-in protests by the farmers who blocked the highways.

“Sit-ins were also observed by farmers in the Bundelkhand districts of Lalitpur and Jalaun,” he said.