LIVE: UP govt asks police officers to end farmers' protests in state

Farmers' protest LIVE updates: The Delhi Police Crime Branch will investigate the cases of violence at the Red Fort, ITO and seven other places

Farmers' protest LIVE updates Day 64: The Ghaziabad administration has given an ultimatum to protesting farmers to vacate UP Gate by Thursday midnight or else they would be removed, according to PTI report. 

The crowd at the protest sites in Delhi's Singhu and Tikri borders was visibly thin two days after the tractor parade turned violent, even though the farmer unions said it was because the protesters, who had come to the national capital to take part in January 26 march, have returned home.

Delhi Police today issued lookout notices against farmer leaders named in an FIR in connection with the violence during the farmers' tractor parade on Republic Day and invoked sedition charges in a case of the Red Fort incident as the force intensified its investigation. The Delhi Police Crime Branch will investigate the cases of violence at the Red Fort, ITO and seven other places during the farmers' tractor parade on Republic Day.

Farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav and Darshan Pal and social activist Medha Patkar were among the 37 people named by the Delhi police in an FIR on the violence during the tractor parade that includes attempt to murder charge even as two farmer unions on Wednesday said they are withdrawing from the protests against the farm laws.
 

The leaders of the main farmer unions alleged there was a conspiracy behind the violence and demanded a probe as they continued to allege that "anti-social" elements had perpetrated the violence to "torpedo" their peaceful agitation. They said their agitation against the farm laws will continue and public meetings and hunger strikes will be held across the country on January 30.

Meanwhile, two pleas were filed in the Supreme Court over the tractor rally violence with one seeking setting up of a commission, headed by a retired apex court judge, to inquire into the incident while the other urged it to direct the media not to declare farmers as "terrorist" without any evidence.

4:06 AM

AAP leaders will voluntarily court arrest if farmers' protest sites forcibly vacated: Sanjay Singh

AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Thursday said the party stands with farmers agitating against the Centre's contentious farm laws and its leaders will "voluntarily" court arrest if the police will try to forcibly remove peasants from protest sites.
 

He said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal spoke to Bharatiya Kisan Union's (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait who told him that the water supply to the UP Gate protest site in Ghaziabad had been cut.
 

The Rajya Sabha MP further said the party would raise the issue in Parliament.
 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's remarks come after the Ghaziabad administration gave an ultimatum to the agitating farmers to vacate the UP Gate protest site by Thursday midnight.
 

However, Tikait remained adamant, saying he would commit suicide but won't end the stir.
 

So far, three farmer unions have withdrawn their protest against the Centre's farm laws over the violence in Delhi on Republic Day that left a protester dead and nearly 400 police personnel injured.
 

Singh said the AAP stands with the protesting farmers.
 

"If there is violence against farmers and the police try to forcibly vacate the protest sites, the AAP will intensify protests and AAP leaders will even voluntarily court arrest," he said.
 

Tikait told Kejriwal that the water supply to protest sites has been cut and toilets have been removed, the senior AAP leader said.
 

4:05 AM

Farmers stay put at UP Gate, 'excess force' removed

Hundreds of Bharatiya Kisan Union members stayed put on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway early on Friday, notwithstanding the Ghaziabad administration's ultimatum to vacate the UP Gate protest site.
 

A confrontation was building up at the UP Gate in Ghazipur even as frequent power cuts were witnessed in the evening at the protest site, where BKU members, led by Rakesh Tikait, are staying put since November 28.
 

In a post-midnight review of situation, Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey and Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani visited the protest site even as hundreds of security personnel in anti-riot gears were deployed since Thursday.
 

Flanked by supporters at 1 am, Tikait remained at the centre stage of the protest site -- the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which has been barricaded from both the sides, prohibiting regular traffic movement.
 

Around 500 protestors stayed put at UP Gate with more pouring in from western Uttar Pradesh in the night on the call of the BKU, an influential farmers' union in North India.
 

"Excess security force from the protest site has been withdrawn and only a minimal deployment of personnel remains there," a Ghaziabad police officer told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
 

"The tension was building at UP Gate due to excessive deployment of force since Thursday evening," the officer added.

11:12 PM

We will not vacate the site: Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait at Ghazipur border

11:09 PM

Special Cell to probe conspiracy angle behind R-Day violence; protesters asked to vacate UP Gate

Delhi Police on Thursday issued lookout notices against farmer leaders and registered a case under the stringent UAPA and sedition for the Republic Day violence and said its Special Cell will probe the "conspiracy" and "criminal designs" behind the incidents, even as the Ghaziabad administration gave an ultimatum to the protesters at UP Gate to vacate the site by tonight, according to PTI.

10:54 PM

Farmer leaders at Singhu take out 'Sadbhavna' rally to reinforce unity among protesters

Farmer union leaders took out a "Sadbhavna rally" from the Singhu border on Thursday to reinforce a sense of unity among the protestors, two days after their tractor parade turned violent, leaving 394 security personnel injured and one agitator dead. Several farmer union leaders, including including Balbir Singh Rajewal, Daljeet Singh Dallewal, Darshan Pal and Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who led the rally said the march was organised "to counter the forces trying to divide the protesting farmers along religious lines and as per states" and to show that they respect the tricolour.

Several tractors and two-wheelers with the national flag took part in the 16 km-long rally which started from the stage at the Singhu protest site and went up to the beginning of the Kundli-Manesar Palwal highway."This rally was a response to the government's allegations that the farmers insulted the national flag on Republic Day. Farmers from both Punjab and Haryana participated in the rally which displayed immense unity between the two states.

"We wanted to take out this rally to show that the farmers respect the national flag more than anyone else. And this country belongs to the farmers, because it is functioning essentially because of its farmers and the labourers," said Avtar Singh Mehma of the Krantikari Kisan Union (Punjab). He added that all the participating vehicles in the rally did not have their farmer union flags, but just the tricolour. Throughout the course of the rally, participating farmers chanted slogans of farmer unity and Punjab-Haryana brotherhood.

10:53 PM

Issuance of lookout notices against farmer leaders is 'absolutely wrong': Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said the Delhi Police issuing lookout notices against farmer leaders over the tractor rally violence is "absolutely wrong". He also said treating the farmers as "flight risk" was not only illogical but condemnable". "Where will they flee?" asked the chief minister, adding that most of them are small farmers with small land holdings and not some "big corporate raiders" who had fled over the past few years after "looting" the country of billions of rupees.

"You failed to stop these bigwigs but are now targeting these small farmers fighting for their survival," he said and appealed to the Centre to immediately direct the Delhi Police to withdraw the lookout notices. The Delhi Police has issued lookout notices against farmer leaders who have been named in an FIR filed in connection with the violence that broke out during the farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on Republic Day.

A lookout notice is issued to prevent an accused from leaving the country. n a statement here, the chief minister also questioned the Delhi Police's decision to name farmer leaders in the FIRs in connection with the violence without any evidence against them.

9:09 PM

Farmers' protest: Crowd visibly thin at protest sites; leaders say agitation still strong

The crowd at the protest sites in Delhi's Singhu and Tikri borders was visibly thin on Thursday two days after the tractor parade turned violent, even though the farmer unions said it was because the protesters, who had come to the national capital to take part in January 26 march, have returned home, PTI reported. Additional police personnel were deployed at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders -- the three main sites where farmers have been protesting the Centre's new farm laws -- as a preventive measure in the view of the violence on Republic Day that left 394 policemen injured and one protestor dead.

 

The Singhu border, one of the major protest sites that has been home to thousands of farmers for over two months, was noticeably less populated on Thursday than what it used to be before the Republic day, or even before that.

 

The number of tractors have reduced, and so have the protestors, while reaching from one end to the other end of the street, that were chock-a-block till last week, can be now done in no time.

9:03 PM

Lookout notice against farmers absolutely wrong: Punjab CM

Terming the issuance of lookout notices against farmer leaders as "absolutely wrong", Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said treating the farmers as a flight risk was not only illogical but condemnable, IANS reported.
 

"Where will they flee?" he asked, pointing out that most of them were small farmers with small land holdings and not big businessmen like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Mehul Choksi, who had fled over the past few years after looting billions of rupees. "You failed to stop these bigwigs but are now targetting these small farmers fighting for their survival," said Amarinder Singh, urging the Centre to immediately direct the Delhi Police to withdraw the lookout notices.

 

The Chief Minister also questioned the Delhi Police's decision to name farmer leaders in the FIRs of the Republic Day violence without any evidence against them.

8:52 PM

Centre ignoring my pleas on farmers, on fast from Jan 30: Anna Hazare

Social crusader Kisan Baburao alias Anna Hazare on Thursday lamented that the Centre is ignoring all his pleas on the farmers' demands, compelling him to go on another hunger strike from January 30, IANS reported. The 83-year-old anti-graft activist said that he had been agitating for the farmers since four years and in past three months only, he had written on this five times to the Prime Minister and Union Agriculture Minister.

 

"But it seems that the government is not taking appropriate decisions on the issue of farmers. The government is not sensitive to the plight of farmers. So I will start a fast from the Yadavbaba Temple in Ralegan-Siddhi on January 30, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination," Hazare announced.

 

Detailing his struggles, Hazare said he had launched a hunger strike in Delhi on March 23, 2018 after which the PMO gave a written assurance on March 29 on the MSP demand and other issues.

8:46 PM

We're also hurt by Red fort incident, says Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti)

8:45 PM

Ghazipur border closed, says Delhi Traffic Police

Ghazipur border closed. Traffic 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, Please take alternate route: Delhi Traffic Police

8:36 PM

Bengal assembly passes resolution against new farm laws; sixth non-BJP state to do so

The West Bengal on Thursday became the sixth state to pass a resolution against the three contentious farm laws enacted by the Centre, even as the opposition BJP staged a walkout from the assembly amid "Jai Shri Ram" slogans, PTI reported.

 

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee moved the resolution under rule 169 urging the centre that the three laws- the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act,2020; the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020- be repealed.

 

West Bengal assembly is the sixth to pass such a resolution after Punjab, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Delhi and Kerala.

8:28 PM

Will commit suicide but won't end protest until farm bills are repealed: Rakesh Tikait

Will commit suicide but won't end protest until farm bills are repealed: PTI quoted BKU's Rakesh Tikait as saying.

8:20 PM

Clip of violence and vandalism at Delhi's Red Fort on 26th January: ANI

8:12 PM

Protesters cornered at Singhu border, key routes blocked: IANS

In view of the tensed situation at the Singhu border, the protesters camping at the site have been cornered to a designated area near the central stage, while the key routes connecting Delhi and Haryana around the border were blocked on Thursday, according to IANS report. Several routes connecting both Delhi and Haryana to the Singhu border were also closed by the Delhi police and para military forces. Besides, barricades have also been put up to disperse the protesters.

 

"We have stepped up arrangements to prevent any untoward incident at the Singhu border. The shops adjoining the border were also forced to shut," said a senior Delhi police officer.

 

Two days after the violence broke out in the national capital, local residents around the Singhu border on Thursday demanded that farmers should vacate the protest site. Some locals from Bakhtawar Pur and Hamidpur villages were seen agitating against the farmers at the border.