BKU’s Naresh Tikait Says Protest at Ghazipur Will End Tonight, His Brother Rakesh to Continue Sit-in

Home Minister Amit Shah today met police personnel injured in the Red Fort violence when rioting farmers broke barricades, climbed the ramparts of the monument and hoisted a religious flag. Over 300 cops were injured in the incident and 22 FIRs were filed. The Delhi Police has also named actor Deep Sidhu and gangster-turned-social activist Lakha Sidhana in an FIR in connection with the Red Fort violence. As protesting farmers turned rioters on Tuesday in New Delhi, the name of actor Deep Sidhu emerged at the forefront of the desecration that happened at the Red Fort. While farmer unions alleged it was “fringe elements” like him who instigated protesters and turned the agitation violent, Sidhu defended his actions, saying they did not remove the national flag at the Red Fort, but only put up the ‘Nishan Sahib’ as a symbolic protest.

The violent turn of events after two months of farmers’ agitation has exposed the movement, even as unions and leaders continue to disassociate themselves from the faction that stormed the Red Fort. Following the violence, two farmer unions withdrew from the protests on Wednesday. The Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu), which had publicly denounced the Republic Day violence, pulled out of the ongoing protests against the three contentious farm laws that the farmers claim will benefit only big corporates and not growers.

We can’t carry forward a protest with someone whose direction is something else. So, I wish them the best but VM Singh and Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan are withdrawing from this protest right away,” ANI quoted RKMS national convener VM Singh as saying.

Singh also blamed BKU’s Rakesh Tikait for pressuring the farmers to take a different route than the one designated for the tractor rally on Republic Day.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) president Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh said he was deeply pained by whatever happened during the tractor parade, adding his union was ending its protest being staged at the Chilla border.