Farmers dig in as govt moves forces

■ Clear protest site in Ghazipur, orders UP police; earth movers in Tikri, more forces sent to Singhu ■ ‘Will kill self but not end protest,’ says Rakesh Takait; reports of farmers leaving for Delhi from Biwani, Jind

Two days after Delhi witnessed violence and chaos, the Centre on Thursday moved in forces at all three major farmers' major protest sites and sent eviction notice to their leaders at Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, asking them to vacate the site and end the protest. The farmers, who have been protesting at these sites for over 60 days against three contentious farm laws, dug their heels in and refused to budge. Their leaders said they would rather die than end the protest.

Till late Thursday night, high tension prevailed with farmers locked in a major face-off with the UP government at the Ghazipur border after the administration cut off their water and power supply and sent in police and Rapid Action Forces in large numbers after serving a notice to farmers' leaders to vacate the site.

While the administration said it was fully prepared to vacate the border, the farmers said they would not move till the farm laws are repealed. Bharat Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, who was earlier in the day talking of courting arrest, announced in an emotional appeal in the evening that he would rather hang himself than end the stir. He also said that he was ready to face bullets.

At the Singhu border, the government sent in earth movers and large trenches were dug, while at the Tikri border additional forces were sent, giving credence to farmers' fear that the Centre was moving in a coordinated fashion to evict the farmers forcefully. Earlier in the day at least three protest sites -- Baghpat, Fatehpur and Mathura -were vacated.

In Ghazipur, the situation became volatile after the state administration served a notice under Section 133 of Cr.PC to the farmer leader to vacate the protest site. Section 133 empowers the state to clear any unlawful obstruction or nuisance from any public place.

Refusing to budge, Mr Tikait made it clear that he would vacate the site only after the three agriculture laws are repealed. “I will commit suicide. But I will not leave this place,” an emotional kissan leader said while appealing to other protesters to bring forward their tractors to form a cordon around him. He claimed that the even electricity and water supply have been cut at the site. “I will now only drink water which is brought on tankers by protesting farmers.”

Mr Tikait also said there was an alleged plan to attack farmers after his arrest. “We were ready to surrender but I have come to know that a BJP MLA and his supporters is waiting to attack these farmers after we leave from here.”

“Now, I am not going anywhere. The administration will be responsible if something bad happens here. ‘Chalne do goli ab’. And one more thing, if we catch any BJP worker or MLA we, will keep them hostage here,” he added.

Mr Tikait told the police that his peaceful sit-in has also been justified by the Supreme Court. “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.

Mr Tikait also questioned the Delhi Police for not opening fire to stop protesters from breaking into the Red Fort and hoisting a religion flag there. "Who was the person who maligned an entire community and organisation?"

Heavy police deployment was also made at Tikri and Singhu borders - the epicenter of anti-farm law protests. Some farmers at the protest sites had already returned home in the fear of detention and arrests in the aftermath of

■ Continued from Page 1 the violence. Tension prevailed at Singhu border after some locals from Bakhtawarpur and Hamidpur protested against the farmers camping there. Carrying banners and placards, locals and BJP supporters condemned the violence and urged the police to clear the protest site.

Earlier in the day, the administration got a protest site vacated in Bhagpat, but denied using force. “The elderly people, including a mentally unsound person, were sent to their homes,” Baghpat additional district magistrate Amit Kumar Singh said. The administration said it got the area vacated after receiving a request from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) over its pending construction work.