It was a long tense night at Ghazipur on Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border where farmer leader Rakesh Tikait stood his ground, refusing to vacate despite local administration’s eviction orders and being ringed in by police. Elsewhere, the farmers’ two-month long agitation seemed to be fizzling out with crowds thinning at most protest sites.
Ghazipur was the centre of action after Ghaziabad district administration’s eviction orders. Soon police in anti-riot gear gathered in large numbers, asking protesters to vacate the area. Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Rakesh Tikait said they would not leave. As tension grew, Tikait said that no arrests will happen there. “If anything happens, the police will be responsible. Yahan goli chalegi (Bullet will be fired here),” he said.
The farmer leader, who many blamed for the chaos during the tractor rally on January 26, also issued an emotional appeal saying the agitation would continue. As videos of the farm leader breaking down went viral, farmers in Haryana blocked the Chandigarh national highway near Jind district.
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A mahapanchayat was also held in Tikait’s native village of Sisauli in Muzaffarnagar, where it was decided that more farmers would move towards the protest site. A public gathering has been planned for Friday. The administration responded by blocking several approach roads to ground zero.
The stand off continued till 3 am on Friday when Uttar Pradesh Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) deployed left the protest site. Friday morning saw heavy police presence with protesters shouting slogans ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’, ‘Inquilab Zindabad’.
The administration has blocked NH 24, the highway near Gazipur. “Traffic has been diverted from NH 24, NH 9, Road no 56, 57 A, Kondli, Paper market, Telco T point, EDM Mall, Akshardham & Nizammudin Khatta. Traffic is very heavy in the area and Vikas marg,” Delhi Traffic Police notice said.
The farmers’ protest, which had been going on peacefully for more than two months, turned violent on January 26 during the tractor rally. Several protesters deviated from the given route and clashed with police at ITO and Red Fort, hoisting a religious flag on the historic building.
The police filed several cases against farmer leaders and activists, including Tikait, Medha Patkar, Yogendra Yadav and Darshan Pal.
This was followed by Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan and Bhartiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) pulling out of the protest. This resulted in crowds thinning at all protest sites — Singhu border, Tikri and Gazipur.
