The officials of Ghaziabad district administration in Uttar Pradesh have asked farmers to end their protest and clear all protest sites adjoining Delhi by tonight. “Ghaziabad District Administration has ordered those who are holding the sit-in protest without permission at Ghazipur border (Delhi-Ghaziabad border) to vacate the area by late evening today,” official sources.
The Ghaziabad administration plans to clear the road by tonight.
The government seems to have taken a tough stand after the Red Fort violence that happened on January 26 during the tractor rally in Delhi. Also earlier today, the protest ended at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh.
Protesting farmers at the site alleged that police used force to remove them, however, the police claimed that the matter was resolved through deliberations and the protesting farmers were sent home on Wednesday night.
"Yes, we have received orders from the government to get all the protest sites on the borders of the state vacated, said a senior police officer.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, who has been named in the FIR by the Delhi Police in connection with the Republic Day violence, speaking to media accused the government that it has been planned by them to break their protest and warned that if the protesters were troubled the Ghazipur administration will suffer dire consequences.
Tikait added the farmers won't vacate the protest sites "even if bullets are fired".
"If something untoward happens here then the administration is responsible for it. We are ready for talks. We wanted to court arrest peacefully. But they have other plans. Now, I don’t trust what will happen to my people once I get arrested," he said.
The Home Ministry on Tuesday had directed to deploy 13 paramilitary forces to maintain security while, earlier in the day, there was heavy deployment of security personnel, comprising the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Police, the Central Reserve Police Force and the Rapid Action Force at the Ghazipur protest site.