Several farm leaders on Monday have been detained by the Delhi police for protesting against unemployment at Ghazipur, which lies on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border. After many farmers were detained, they were allowed to go after their identities were verified. Such a measure was taken in order to prevent any threats or security incidents, a top police official told The Indian Express. Some farmers were stopped in a bid to control the crowd, police officials told IE. Security has been beefed up in the border areas in Delhi as the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and farmers’ unions march towards the Jantar Mantar in the national capital to hold a Mahapanchayat from 11 am today, in order to demand justice for kin of victims killed in Lakhimpur Kheri incident last year and the release of jailed farm law protesters, among others.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed in Delhi and police forces have been deployed in heavy numbers at the border areas at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Meerut expressway, Singhu and Tikri, which were also the epicenter of the protests against the farm laws.

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 Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait was detained by the Delhi police at the Ghazipur entry point a day ahead of today’s agitation.

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Claiming that the Delhi Police, working under the instructions of the BJP-led Central government, won’t be able to stop the farmers from protesting, Tikait took to Twitter and wrote, “The Delhi Police working at the behest of the government cannot suppress the voice of the farmers. This arrest will bring a new revolution. This struggle will continue till the last breath. Won’t stop, won’t get tired, won’t bow down.”

Here are the top developments:

– The Kisan mahapanchayat began at 11 am at the Jantar Mantar. Nearly 5,000 people are expected at the protest site. According to local police, farmers have turned up in huge numbers, stating that with each passing hour, several farmers are joining the agitation in the national capital.

– The protests will continue despite a failure to obtain the requisite permission from the Delhi Police for continuing with them. “We have made adequate arrangements to ensure that the law and order is maintained and there is no loss of life and property,” Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Dependra Pathak told news agency PTI.

– The two major demands of the protesters — unemployment, release of jailed protesters and the arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son Ashish was allegedly involved and is the top accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident. The protesters have also demanded legislation on Minimum Support Price (MSP), the revocation of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2022 among many others.

– The protests are being led by the SKM, which is an umbrella group of 40 farm organisations.

– Barricades have been put around the protest site at the Jantar Mantar. Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda told news agency PTI, “Personnel usually remain deployed at Jantar Mantar but on Monday, we have deployed additional forces in view of the ‘mahapanchayat’.”

– Traffic movement is expected to remain slow at the border areas in the NCR regions of Noida and Ghaziabad. The traffic police has issued an advisory and asked commuters to avoid Tolstoy Marg, Sansad Marg, Janpath Road, Ashoka Road, Outer Circle Connaught Place, Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Pandit Pant Marg due to the farmers’ agitation.