Haryana Police quiz ‘masked’ man
Protesting farmer leaders allege plot to kill 4 of them, disrupt tractor parade
The Haryana Police were on Saturday questioning a man after agitating farmer leaders alleged he was involved in a plot to kill 4 of them and create disturbance during their proposed tractor parade in Delhi on January 26.
The man was allegedly nabbed at the Singhu border by the protesting farmer leaders who paraded him before reporters on Friday night and later handed him over to the police.
His face covered with a scarf, the man claimed a plan was hatched to shoot four farmer leaders, who are known faces in the media, on the stage on Saturday. "On January 26, there was a plan to create disturbance during the tractor parade by opening fire on Delhi Police personnel, which would prompt them to retaliate against the protesting farmers in a strong manner," he claimed.
A police official said the man, stated to be around 21 years of age, was being quizzed in Sonipat by the Crime Branch of the state police. The man has been residing in Sonipat and has no previous criminal record.
"He was not carrying any arms or ammunition. We are questioning him, but nothing has so far been found that points to any kind of conspiracy, as is being alleged," the official said earlier in the day, adding that further investigations are underway.
Haryana CM ML Khattar said the police will give an official statement after completing the questioning.
"Currently, the police are questioning him. Till the time this is going on, to say anything will not be appropriate," he said.
Cavalcades from Punjab, Haryana set out for march Several batches of farmers from Punjab and Haryana set out on Saturday in their tractor-trolleys and other vehicles to take part in the tractor parade on January 26. Carrying ration, mattresses and other essentials, cavalcades of tractors left for Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands. Tractors carried the flags of the unions, some sported the tricolour, and posters with slogans of 'Kisan Ekta Zindabad', 'No Farmer, No Food' and ' Kaale Kanoon Radd Karo'. "Over 30,000 tractors and trolleys today moved from Khanauri (Sangrur, Punjab) and Dabwali (Sirsa district, Haryana) to join the tractor parade in Delhi," said Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan on Saturday.
Over 2 lakh tractors will be part of the Jan 26 ‘kisan parade’ and around 2,500 volunteers will be deployed to facilitate the movement of vehicles, union leaders said. MP Cong protests; cops use tear gas, water cannons Congress workers protesting against the agri laws clashed with the police and allegedly hurled stones while on their way to gherao Raj Bhavan in Bhopal on Saturday, prompting police to use water cannons, tear gas and canes to disperse them, officials said.
Over six cops and some people were injured, while 106 protesters were arrested, including Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh, and released later, an officer said.