New Delhi: The situation at the Ghazipur border eased out after midnight as the security forces were withdrawn from here sources said Friday morning. Earlier the UP administration had ordered the protesting farmers to vacate the place by Thursday night. It had also said that power and water connection to the protest site will be cut off. Extra deployments of paramilitary forces had also been made to force the protesting farmers vacate the site.
It had prompted Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) to make a strong reply. Spokesperson and leader of the party Rakesh Tikait had said Thursday evening that come what may, the protesting farmers won’t leave. “You can fire bullets, but we will not leave,” Tikait had said. He had also alleged that the Centre was breaking up the peaceful protests through nefarious means.
However, the reason behind the withdrawal of security forces is still not known. A few of the security personnel said that they have been asked to go back as they were on duty since morning.
Also read: Defiant BKU leader Rakesh Tikait refuses to vacate Ghazipur protest site
The situation was tense at the Ghazipur border after the tractor rally organised by the farmers’ unions on Republic Day turned violent. The ‘protestors’ even laid siege to the Red Fort at the national capital.
The farmers have also started returning back to the protest spot to show solidarity with Tikait.
Meanwhile in a separate development the DDA ground in Burari in the outskirts of the national capital has been cleared of protesters. They had been camping there since November-end, Delhi Police said Thursday. The police said that 30 protesting farmers have moved to the Singhu border. However, 15 others have been detained for their possible involvement in violence by protesters January 26.
Earlier the Burari ground was offered to the farmers as their protest site. However, only a few occupied the place while the others went to the Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu protest sites.