NOIDA: Several farmers protested at the Noida entry gate on Wednesday against the lathicharge on farmers who tried to enter Delhi from Ghaziabad, and alleged that the state government was using “barbarian tactics like the British”.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national president Bhanu Pratap Singh and other farmers were headed for Delhi’s Jantar Mantar via Noida-Greater Noida Expressway to express solidarity with the 30,000 farmers protesting against the central government when police stopped them at Zero Point and later, Mahamaya flyover.
B C Pradhan, state organisation secretary, BKU, said officials, including the SP (city), magistrate and circle officer, met the farmers at Mahamaya flyover and asked them to return to Zero Point. “Our national president decided to continue with the journey and later, a call from Delhi confirmed that we could travel further,” he said.
The farmers stopped at the Noida entry gate and raised slogans against the BJP government and its “dictatorial attitude”. Ramesh Chand, a commuter who was standing at the bus stop on the Delhi side, said the farmers protested for at least 10 minutes near the Ashram loop before continuing their journey. A Delhi traffic police officer said that the protests stalled traffic for some minutes.
After reaching the PMO office, the farmers submitted a memorandum with nine demands.
Magistrate Shailendra Mishra told TOI, “The circle officer got a clearance from senior officials, saying that the farmers could hand over their memorandum peacefully.”
Farmers during a protest demonstration at Noida entry gate.
