Ghaziabad: Stringent security continued on Wednesday at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border. It is one of the key protest sites where thousands of farmers are camping. They have been demanding that the Centre repeal the new farm laws enacted last September. Internet services remained disrupted for the fifth day at the site on Delhi’s outskirts. Protesters are occupying a stretch of the Delhi-Meerut highway since November. However, a Ghaziabad Police officer informed Wednesday that online connectivity has been restored, but there could be glitches.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had announced suspension of internet services. The suspensions were implemented at the three border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur and their adjoining areas from 11.00 January 29 effective till 11.00pm January 31. Later it extended the suspension till 11.00pm, February 2.
“There has been no further extension of internet suspension at these sites as of now,” a Home Ministry official said Wednesday.
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BKU’s Meerut zone president Pawan Khatana however, said the internet was inaccessible at Ghazipur early Wednesday. This was till the time he left for a mahapanchayat in Haryana’s Jind with union leader Rakesh Tikait.
Iron nails studded on roads, multi-layer iron and concrete barricades, concertina wires remained fixed. Large number of security personnel was also deployed as fortification of Ghazipur continued to prevent protesters’ movement to Delhi.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at the Delhi borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. They are demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.