Two days after the chaos at the tractor rally, the Uttar Pradesh government has directed the farmers protesting at the Delhi-UP border in Ghazipur to end the event and empty the road.
Sources said that according to the Ghaziabad administration’s plans, they are looking at vacating the road by tonight that is occupied by the farmers.
Nevertheless, farmers are firm on their stance and aren’t willing to stop their protest. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait even said that he is ready to face the gun but not cease protests.
“The Supreme Court has justified the peaceful sit-in. There has been no violence on the Ghazipur border. Despite this, the government is adopting a repressive policy. It is the face of the Uttar Pradesh government,” the leader said.
Since the farmers’ protest’s commencement on November 26th, the Ghazipur border has remained sealed by the government. Exactly a month later, on January 26th, farmers broke the barricades and hurdles to carry out their tractor procession.
The national capital became the epicenter of chaos after farmers changed their planned route and headed towards the Red Fort. The Police’s actions to stop them resulted in violence across the city. One of the groups managed to reach the monument, which was called as a message to the Centre.
After the mayhem, the Uttar Pradesh government took a strong ploy against the farm laws and are attempting to remove the farmers from their protest site.
The Baghpat administration cleared a protest area in the district last night but refused to have used any force in doing so. Baghpat Additional District Magistrate Amit Kumar Singh said, “We did not use any force to remove the protesters. The elderly people, including a mentally unsound person, were sent to their homes.”
The reason for the clearance, they said, was a request received sent by the National Highways Authority of India regarding the delay in construction of a certain part in the area that is pending for a long. Hence, protestors were told to shift to the Mathura and Fatehpur protest sites that are smaller in comparison.
Haryana, the state currently governed by the BJP, has also given farmers 24 hours to vacate the site in Karnal.
The farmers have been alleging that the Republic day havoc was the government’s attempt to “break” their peaceful protest.
Farmer leader Tikait, today, demanded an investigation in the Red Fort event.
Referring to the Punjabi actor and activist who has been held guilty by the farmers of carrying out the violence, he said, “Deep Sidhu, who was involved in the incident at the Red Fort, has been socially boycotted.”
