4 min readNew DelhiMay 29, 2023 09:28 AM IST
First published on: May 29, 2023 at 04:18 AM IST
Hundreds of farmers from Uttar Pradesh staged a day-long sit-in protest at the Ghazipur border after Delhi Police stopped them from entering the capital to participate in the protest march called by wrestlers to the new Parliament building Sunday.
The farmers, more than 500 in number, including from the state’s western parts such as Shamli, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur, were led by Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait. “Our daughters and the wrestlers who made the country proud on international platforms have been protesting for the last one month. The girls won medals for the country and they are now fighting for justice but the BJP government is not listening to them. Why is Brij Bhushan not arrested yet?” asked Tikait.
Calling for “strict and immediate action”, he said, “Our protest will not stop. It will be held in different forms. The fight will continue till Brij Bhushan is arrested. This is a fight for our daughters.”
Around 11 am, tense scenes were witnessed at the border as farmers climbed atop barricades before being stopped. Delhi and UP police then sealed the borders at Ghazipur Mandi and at UP gate from Vaishali side. Heavy barricading and police vans were put in place.
A portion of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway was also heavily barricaded, leading to traffic jams in NCR, particularly places close to the protest site such as Anand Vihar, Vaishali, Indirapuram and Akshardham.
A senior police officer said, “The farmers came to join the protest but we had clear instructions not to allow them as they could pose a threat during the inauguration (of the new Parliament building). Concrete slabs, roadblocks and barricades were at all borders. Security checks were increased to inspect all vehicles passing by. However, a group of farmer union leaders managed to hold a protest at Ghazipur. We didn’t detain anyone. They left around 6 pm and the area was cleared.”
Shaukinder Chaudhary (52), from Shamli district, said, “My daughter is also a national-level shooter. After these incidents and complaints, that too from such top Olympic medalists, I am scared to send my daughter for practice or let her take part in sports… Darr lagta hai, kab kya ho jaye (You never know what can happen next).”
Asking why the WFI chief was not arrested yet, he said, “Instead of taking action against him, police are beating up the wrestlers…. ek taraf Modi ji mahila samman, beti bachao beti padhao ki baat karte hai or dusri taraf unko peet rahe hain…ye kahan ka nyay hai (On one hand, the Prime Minister talks of women empowerment and on the other, women are getting beaten up. Is this justice?).”
Vikas Pawar, another farmer from the same district, said, “What is the benefit of constructing such a big building (Parliament House), if it cannot give justice to our daughters?”
At 3.30 pm, Tikait left the protest site. At 6.15 pm, the farmers union announced the protest was over and protesters left by 7pm.
Farmers also tried entering the city from Singhu and Tikri borders but were stopped in Punjab and Haryana by local police. Some of them were detained. Other places where farmers were stopped included Khanauri border and Gurgaon border where security was tightened with deployment of police, CISF and BSF personnel.
Farmers are planning to hold a mahapanchayat on June 11 across various districts of UP, Haryana and Punjab to support the wrestlers.
Meanwhile, MCD Mayor Shelly Oberoi has issued an order refusing permission to convert a civic body school in Kanjhawala into a temporary jail. This comes a day after Delhi Police sought permission to convert the school into a temporary jail in view of the wrestlers’ mahila mahapanchayat.
Farmers at the Ghazipur border, after the Delhi Police stopped them from entering the city. (Express photo by Prem Nath Pandey) 
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