Heavy security for BKU dharna, Tikait arrested

DEHRA DUN, OCT 12: Heavy security has been arranged for in Hardwar to thwart attempts by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) activists to lay siege...

DEHRA DUN, OCT 12: Heavy security has been arranged for in Hardwar to thwart attempts by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) activists to lay siege over the town on Friday in protest against the inclusion of the district in Uttaranchal.

BKU supremo Mahender Singh Tikait was arrested in Jyotiba Phule Nagar on Wednesday while 23 others, including area MLA Ambrish Kumar, were rounded up by the police. The tent at the dharna site in front of the district magistrate’s office has been removed. All entrance points to the district have been sealed to prevent the influx of BKU workers from western Uttar Pradesh.

The BKU and the Haridwar Bachao Sangharsh Samiti have been spearheading an agitation in protest against the inclusion of Hardwar district in the new state. A dharna by the BKU in front of the office of the Hardwar district magistrate has been going on for the past several months.

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Last month, Tikait held a mahapanchayat, parlaysing road and rail traffic to and from Hardwar. Activists laid siege over the city for more than 40 hours. Almost the entire transport system came to halt as all major trains moving towards Dehradun and Hardwar were diverted to Saharanpur.

The BKU had announced another mahapanchayat on October 13 to press the Union Government to reconsider its decision on the district. District administration officials said they weren’t taking chances this time.

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