Over 100 booked for blocking highway during farmers' protest

More than 100 people were booked by the Police today for allegedly blocking national highway at various places during farmers protest in Haryana.

The farmers had gathered at various places in Haryana and blocked national highways as part of their nation-wide stir against the death of five cultivators in police firing in Madhya Pradesh and "failure" of the Centre to provide relief to the farming community.

Police said the Rohtak-Panipat national highway was blocked here near village Gilhor Kalan and 27 people had been booked in this connection, while 120 other people were also booked.

Rohtak-Jind highway was blocked by the protesters and 15 people had been booked in this connection, they said.
 

All the people had been booked under the National Highways Act and other relevant provisions of the law, police said.

Police said they managed to clear the highways after talking to the protesters.

Led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Gurnam Singh, farmers had also gathered near Mohra in Ambala in Haryana and blocked the highway there by parking their tractors.

Apart from Ambala, farmers also held protests at Rohtak, Sonepat, Hisar, Sirsa, Jind, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri.

In view of the farmers' protest, the Haryana police had taken necessary steps to deal with the situation.

Four companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had been deployed in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Sonepat and Jind.