Ghaziabad: Traffic on Delhi-Meerut Expressway remained disrupted for the second consecutive day after UP and Delhi Police barricaded the Ghaziabad-Delhi border to prevent farmers from entering the capital for a Kisan Mahapanchayat against the proposed India-US trade deal.’The restrictions mirrored Monday’s security measures, when police had sealed the border to stop protesters from reaching Parliament for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) march.Around 100 farmers from Meerut, Baghpat and neighbouring districts heading to Kisan Ghat in Delhi were stopped at UP Gate. More than 60 were detained as some attempted to breach police barricades before staging a sit-in on the expressway, worsening congestion on the Delhi-bound carriageway. As police continued checking vehicles at the border through the day, DME and National Highway-9 saw long traffic snarls during the morning rush hour.The first flashpoint came around 10.30 am, when police stopped a convoy of eight to nine cars with more than 40 farmer leaders from Bijnor under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan near UP Gate. As cops barricaded the Delhi-bound carriageway on DME, the farmers got out of their vehicles and staged a sit-in on the expressway itself, bringing traffic to a complete halt. Farmer leaders relented around 11.15 am, and turned back toward Ghaziabad.The reprieve, however, was brief. At 12.30 pm, as around 40 farmer leaders travelling under the banner of Bhakiyu Ajgar reached UP Gate, police again erected barricades and shut the road. Angry farmers climbed atop the barricades, leading to a confrontation that escalated into pushing and shoving with police personnel. Officers responded by detaining the group and transporting them to the Police Line by bus.
Angry farmers climbed atop the barricades, leading to a confrontation with cops at UP Gate on Tuesday
A third confrontation followed around 2 pm, when 20-25 farmers affiliated with Bhakiyu Arajnaitik reached the border. A clash broke out between the farmers and police when they, too, were prevented from proceeding to Delhi. They were detained and sent to the Police Line, after which traffic was reopened.Farmers are protesting against the proposed Indo-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) fearing the deal could open India’s market to cheaper American products and hurt domestic agriculture.
A clash broke out between the farmers and police when they were prevented from proceeding to Delhi for a Kisan Mahapanchayat against the proposed India-US trade deal on Tuesday
Indirapuram ACP Suryabali Maurya said police released all 60 detained farmers later in the evening. “The farmers were detained for pushing police officers and trying to break the barricades, but around 5.30 pm, we released them all. No FIR so far,” he said, adding that vehicles and people were subjected to thorough security checks throughout the operation.About 150 police personnel drawn from Khoda, Kaushambi and Indirapuram police stations along with one platoon of PAC and 50 policemen from the city zone were deployed at UP Gate.
Tailbacks on NH-9
The combined effect of the farmers’ clashes and the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar left UP Gate jammed for more than five hours, with motorists facing congestion on DME and NH-9 from around 10 am to 3 pm. Commuters bore the brunt of the disruption. Mala Tiwari said she had set out to receive her 65-year-old mother at New Delhi railway station but got caught in the jam. “I left home around 11 am but reached the railway station only at 1.15 pm. My mother, who had reached the station at 12.15 pm, had to wait for me for more than an hour,” she said, adding that it took her over 45 minutes to cross the UP Gate stretch alone.Shubham Singh, a bank employee travelling to Delhi for work, said he was stuck in traffic for more than an hour and was forced to cancel a business meeting as a result. Several ambulances travelling from Ghaziabad to Delhi were also caught in the gridlock before policemen could clear the path for them.
