Farm laws: Farmers in large numbers join protest at Ghazipur border

A day after the 'mahapanchayat' in Muzaffarnagar town, more farmers started pouring in at the site of the dharna on the Ghazipur border in Ghaziabad district on Saturday to join others to protest the new farm laws even as internet services were suspended and the National Highway 24 connecting Delhi with UP was closed.

Agitating farmers' leaders also embarked on a day-long fast on the death anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on Saturday being observed as 'Martyrs' Day'.

According to the reports, farmers from Baghpat, Meerut, Bijnore, Muzaffarnagar and other western UP districts started arriving at the Ghazipur border since early morning.

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Reports said that the security personnel continued to be deployed at the site but their numbers had reduced. The government had deployed a large contingent of the police force on Thursday in a bid to force the farmers to leave the ground if required.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), which had organised the 'mahapanchayat', had appealed to the farmers to reach the Ghazipur border in large numbers. Reports said that the farmers were reaching the protest site in batches.

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Farmer leaders have appealed to the people to send at least one member of their family to join the protest.

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait's emotional appeal to the farmers after he was served a notice by the Delhi police over his alleged role in the violence during the tractor rally in Delhi on the Republic Day seemed to have united different factions of the farmers.

The participation of the opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) also provided a new lease of life to the agitation.

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Internet services were suspended for 24-hours in the border areas and the main highway connecting Delhi with western UP district was closed, apparently to prevent the farmers from reaching the protest site.

One farmer was killed when his tractor overturned, and several others, including the cops, were injured in the violence during the tractor rally on Tuesday.