Kisan Kranti Padyatra: Police use water cannons against protesting farmers at the UP-Delhi border in Vaishali, Ghaziabad, Tuesday. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
Thousands of farmers, who were stopped by police during the Kisan Kranti Padyatra from entering Delhi Tuesday, ended their march at Kisan Ghat in the early hours of Wednesday. The farmers entered the national capital post-midnight after police removed barricades and allowed them to proceed towards Kisan Ghat. On Tuesday, police stopped them from entering Delhi, using tear gas shells and water cannons that drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties.
“Delhi Police removed barricades post-midnight to allow the farmers stopped during the Kisan Kranti Padyatra to enter Delhi and proceed towards Kisan Ghat. The farmers entered the national capital riding their tractors and trolleys and proceeded towards Kisan Ghat where heavy police deployment has been made,” PTI quoted a senior police officer as saying.
Kisan Kranti Padyatra: Farmers spend the night along the UP-Delhi border, Tuesday. (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)
On Tuesday, the farmers started their march towards Delhi over demands ranging from farm loan waiver to cut in fuel prices, blocking traffic movement on arterial roads leading to the national capital. National highways leading to Delhi were swamped with farmers who came in from places as far as Gonda, Basti and Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh as well as the sugarcane belt of western Uttar Pradesh.
Police had imposed prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more people and holding of any public meeting, usage of any amplifier, loudspeaker, and similar instruments.
The farmers’ demands included an unconditional loan waiver, clearing of dues by sugar mills, higher prices for crops, free electricity for farms and a cut in diesel prices.
The Kisan Kranti Yatra began from Tikait Ghat in Haridwar on September 23. Farmers from various parts of Uttar Pradesh had joined the yatra. They came on foot, in buses and tractor trolleys.