Noida: Farmers Detained At Dalit Prerna Sthal As Police Clear Protest Site Amid Heavy Deployment

Noida News: Farmers from Uttar Pradesh protesting for adequate compensation for land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, were detained by Noida Police at Dalit Prerna Sthal.

Noida: Police personnel detain farmers sitting on a 'dharna' near Dalit Prerna Sthal, in Noida, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.

Source : PTI

Noida Police detained protesting farmers at Dalit Prerna Sthal on Tuesday and cleared the site after relocating them the previous day to resolve the traffic chaos caused by their "Delhi Chalo" march.  

The farmers, primarily from Uttar Pradesh, had been demanding adequate compensation for land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013. The protest coincided with Parliament's Winter Session, prompting heavy police deployment and multiple layers of barricades along the Noida-Delhi border.  

On Tuesday morning, farmers accused the police of harassing their leaders. By noon, heavy police presence at Dalit Prerna Sthal led to the site being cordoned off. Senior officers arrived with buses, and the protesting farmers were taken into custody and transported away. It remains unclear where they were taken.  

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | Police detains farmers protesting at Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida

Farmers were continuing their sit-in protest here over various demands. pic.twitter.com/pXyAVumws7

— ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2024

This comes a day after farmers, waving banners and chanting "Bol Kisan, Halla Bol," had marched from the Dadri-Noida link road to the Noida border, leading to massive traffic disruptions. The demonstration was halted near Dalit Prerna Sthal, where police facilitated a dialogue with authorities, granting farmers a week to address their demands.  

 Noida To Delhi March: Farmers’ Demands  

Farmers' demands include revised compensation rates, allocation of 10 per cent developed plots for displaced farmers, and employment benefits for landless farmers' children. Naresh Chaudhry, head of the Kisan Union Samyukt Morcha's Amroha unit, stated, "The government is not paying the correct price for our lands. We are demanding that the anomaly be corrected."  

According to the Bharatiya Kisan Parishad, farmers from 20 districts, including Agra and Aligarh, participated in the protest. Rajveer Lawania, Agra district chief of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, warned of escalating protests if demands remain unmet. 

Meanwhile, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced statewide protests in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday against the privatisation of electricity.  

A separate group of farmers from Punjab, led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, has called for a march towards Delhi on December 6. The group has been camping at Punjab-Haryana border points since February.  

The Yogi Adityanath government faced criticism from the SKM for failing to revise land circle rates since 2017, allegedly denying farmers lawful compensation and benefits. The agitation continues, with the SKM reiterating that their protests will persist until demands are met.