New Delhi (TIP): The Delhi Police have arrested 44 people, including the man who attacked a police officer on Friday, January 29,  with a sword during clashes at Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana, the epicentre of the two-month long farmers’ protest against three central laws. At Ghazipur, one of the other protest sites, thousands of demonstrators dug in on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, defying the Ghaziabad administration’s ultimatum to vacate the area. With the crowd swelling after a standoff and a tearful outburst by one of the senior leaders of the movement on Thursday, security forces in large numbers were called in again. The man with the sword was believed to be one of the protesting farmers who had allegedly attacked a group that barged into the protest site in Singhu, despite heavy police presence, vandalised the protesters’ tents and broke their washing machines.

The police had to fire tear gas shells and use batons to break up a clash between farmers and a large group of men claiming to be local residents who threw stones at each other. Several people including Delhi Police officer Pradeep Paliwal were injured in the violence. Thousands of farmers reached protest sites on Friday and more are expected to join soon as union leaders accused the government of trying to destroy their peaceful agitation and sought the support of people in observing a fast on January 30, Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, from 9 am to 5 pm.

Probing the Republic Day violence, the Delhi Police has asked nine farmer leaders – Rakesh Tikait, Pawan Kumar, Raj Kishore Singh, Tajender Singh Virk, Jitender Singh, Trilochan Singh, Gurmukh Singh, Harpreet Singh and Jagtar Singh Bajwa – to join the investigation.

Over 100 Punjab farmers ‘missing’ since R-Day rally

More than 100 Punjab farmers who went to Delhi to take part in the Republic Day rally are ‘missing’, as per the Punjab Human Rights Organisation. In collaboration with Khalra Mission, the PHRO today announced free legal aid to the farmers booked by the Delhi Police for the Red Fort incident.

“It appears the police deliberately led the farmers to the Red Fort. A ruckus was created when the Nishan Sahib was hoisted there. This cannot be an offence. The Tricolour was not touched. Most protesters were illegally deta-ined on the spot. Since then, their whereabouts are not known,” activist Sarabjit Singh Verka said.

Hakam Singh, a lawyer with the Punjab and Haryana High Court, said at least between 80-90 youths from Punjab had not returned to their camps at Singhu and Tikri. “A group of lawyers is trying to trace them. We are in touch with the police, farm unions and hospitals,” he said.

Lawyers under the banner of Panthic Talmel Sangathan too offered legal aid to the farmers. “We are scrutinising the FIRs. Most farmers were booked under the Damage to Public Property Act, Epidemic Diseases Act and Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act,” an advocate said.

Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said: “Nishan Sahib is the symbol of the Sikh identity. Hoisting the flag does not constitute an offence.”

                Source: The Tribune