After Midnight March, Farmers End Protest at Delhi’s Kisan Ghat

After midnight march, the farmers called off their protest at Delhi’s Kisan Ghat, the memorial of Chaudhary Charan Singh, in the wee hours of Wednesday, 3 October.

The Central government allowed the farmers to enter the national capital in the early hours of Wednesday, ending the prolonged standoff between the police personnel and protesting farmers.

Earlier on Tuesday, as thousands of farmers tried to enter Delhi as part of ‘Kisan Kranti Padyatra’, police stopped them on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, triggering violence that left some of them injured.

Despite Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s assurance of “agreeing on most issues”, the farmers had earlier said they will not accept government assurance and will go ahead with the protest.

The police on Tuesday used water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse the protesting farmers, who have been stopped at the UP-Delhi border during the 'Kisan Kranti Padyatra'.

Asserting that farmers should be allowed to enter Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal said:

Along with Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav also expressed solidarity with the protesting farmers, saying:

Slamming the Modi government over the handling of the farmers' protest at the Delhi border on Tuesday, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said:

Asking why the protesting farmers were stopped at the UP-Delhi border, Bharatiya Kisan Union president Naresh Tikait told ANI:

Responding to the police action against protesting farmers at the UP-Delhi border, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said "it reconfirms the fact that the Modi government is anti-farmers."

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has spoken with the farmer leaders of the BKU regarding the protest, which were stopped at the UP-Delhi border on Tuesday, media reports said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to slam the Modi government over the police action against the protesting farmers at the UP-Delhi border, saying:

“On the World 'Ahimsa' Day, the BJP's Gandhi Jayanti programme began with peaceful Delhi-bound farmers being brutally beaten up. Now, farmers can't even express their pain by coming to the national capital!”

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat talked to protesting farmers on Delhi-UP border. He assured considering their demands. However, Bharatiya Kisan Union president Naresh Tikait said farmers will not accept government assurance, and will go ahead with the protest.

GS Shekhawat, Mos Agricultures, told ANI that the farmers have agreed to call off the agitation.

“We held discussions with representatives of Bharatiya Kisan Union last night. Another meeting was held at Home Minister's house this morning. In the end, we reached agreements on some issues and they assured us that the agitation will be called off, “ he said.

The Delhi police, in a statement said that the the protesters turned violent despite requesting them to wait for the outcome of the talks.

“Despite persuasive methods requesting them to wait till outcome of talks of their leaders with government, a section of crowd turned violent and tried to break barricades forcefully through tractor-trolleys and were also carrying lathis,” the police said in a statement.

The Delhi police further said that seven policemen including an ACP were injured during the protest, PTI reported.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday termed the police lathi-charge on agitating farmers the "height" of anarchy and warned that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party should be prepared to bear its consequences.

Condemning the police action, Mayawati said, "This is the height of the BJP government's anarchy and it shall remain prepared to bear its consequences." "The BJP, which came to power promising to bring the good days of the farmers' by doubling their income, has targeted them with tear-gas shells, lathis when they only wanted to march to the Gandhi sthal on Gandhi Jayanti and hold protest demonstration over their problems" the Dalit leader said.

All schools and colleges in Ghaziabad will remain closed on Wednesday as a preventive measure in view of the ongoing farmers agitation, ANI reported.

Rapid Action Force arrives at UP-Delhi border where farmers have been stopped during 'Kisan Kranti Padyatra', ANI reported.

Delhi Police on late Tuesday night opened barricades at Delhi - Uttar Pradesh border – allowing the entrance of farmers who were stopped during 'Kisan Kranti Padyatra' earlier in the day.

The farmers are now heading towards Kisan Ghat.

Led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Naresh Tikait, over 200 tractors carrying thousands of farmers reached Kisan Ghat in Delhi. Tikait declared it as the "victory of farmers" and said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has failed in its "motives".

"The farmers remained unfazed despite all the hardships. We have been marching for 12 days now, farmers are tired as well. We will continue to demand our rights to the government but for now we are ending the march," Tikait told IANS at Kisan Ghat.

He said the farmers will be returning early morning on Wednesday.

Amid massive deployment of security personnel at Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border, the farmers reinforced their march to the national capital after obtaining necessary permissions from the administration.

Shouting anti-BJP slogans, the farmers, with blisters on feet, reached Kisan Ghat at around 2 am on Wednesday.