Delhi Police serves notice to 12 farmers leaders to join probe on Republic Day violence

Three days after the violence that broke out on the streets of the national capital on Republic Day, the Delhi Police on Friday served notices to 12 farmer leaders to join their investigation. Those leaders served with the notice include Darshan Pal, Buta Singh Burjgill, Rakesh Tikait, Shamsher Pandher and Satnam Pannu. As per ANI, all the aforementioned farm leaders have failed to report to the Delhi police's notice. 

Moreover, the Outer Delhi Police had earlier issued show-cause notices to farmer leaders including Buta Singh Burjgill and Ugraha Kisan leaders in connection with the violence at Nangloi during the tractor rally on January 26. As many as 33 FIRs have been registered at several police stations in the national capital and Look Out Circulars have been issued against 44 people including farm leaders. Farmer leaders including Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav, and Darshan Pal and social activist Medha Patkar are amongst the 37 people named by the Delhi police in the FIRs on the violence during the tractor parade.

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Addressing a press briefing on Wednesday, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava asserted that no one involved in the violence during the farm rally will be spared. Recalling the sequence of events leading up to the tractor rally, he revealed that the farm unions had refused to heed the police's advice on rescheduling the rally. He mentioned that the unions violated several conditions such as sticking to the 12-5 pm timing, farm leaders leading their group of protesters and the maximum participation of 5000 tractors. Shrivastava stated that militant elements within the farmers delivered provocative speeches a day before the rally itself. 

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Tensions continue to soar

On Friday morning, tensions escalated at the Singhu border as clashes broke out between agitating farmers and a group of people claiming to be locals who attempted to clear the protestors. Following that, the police got involved, at which point the cops were pelted with stones, replying with a lathi-charge and with tear gas shells. A major ruckus took place when the residents of the village attempted to force the farmers to vacate the border where they have been agitating at for several months against the Centre's agriculture laws. The two groups pelted stones and attacked each other with sticks, leading to a further escalation in violence. A police official sustained major injuries during the clash and has been shifted to ICU for treatment. 

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