Farmers protesting at Ghazipur border asked to vacate, end protest

Farmers protesting at the Ghazipur protest site have been given an ultimatum by the Ghaziabad administration to clear the area.

Reportedly, protesters will be evacuated forcefully if they don't vacate the protest site, where Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait is present, by tonight.

While no action has been taken against them yet, there was heavy deployment of forces in the area.

Despite the Ghaziabad administration's orders, protesters at Ghazipur have refused to budge, reported NDTV. Their leader Tikait said he's even ready to face arrest if required.

"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," he said.

To recall, the Ghazipur border had remained sealed since November-end when farmers launched protests against three central farm laws at different borders of Delhi.

On Republic Day, however, farmers broke the barricades, went off the designated routes, and turned the tractor rally violent. Delhi witnessed unprecedented violence and chaos as farmers attacked cops, broke into the Red Fort, and even hoisted flags there.

As many as 33 First Information Reports (FIRs) have reportedly been registered by the police in connection with the Republic Day violence during the farmers' tractor rally in Delhi.

The cops also detained around 200 protesters on charges of rioting, attacking the police personnel, and causing damage to public property. Nearly 400 police personnel were injured, and one protester died during the violence.

The three farm laws that the farmers are opposing include the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Their demands include repealing these laws and ensuring that minimum support price (MSP) for their crops is legally guaranteed, among others.

Meanwhile, authorities in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district vacated a protest site there on Wednesday night. While protesters alleged use of force, the police denied it, saying they resolved the matter through deliberations.

"We did not use any force to remove the protesters. The elderly people, including a mentally unsound person, were sent to their homes," said Baghpat Additional District Magistrate Amit Kumar Singh.