The night of January 28 had become very tense at the Delhi borders especially at the Ghazipur region, where section 133 of CrPC (conditional order for removal of nuisance) was imposed.  After the ruckus created on the Republic Day, at the farmers’ tractor-rally, by some groups of protesters, who were blamed to be working to taint the farmers’ protests, FIRs were lodged against some of the farmer-leaders. The brief chaos created at the Red Fort led the police to clamp down at the farmers camping at the Delhi borders, especially at Ghazipur. The power lines & water supply were cut to discourage the farmers. Even the police had dug up trenches in the road using JCB machines. Ghazipur saw the arrival of 300 CAPF personnel, 600 troops of the Provincial Armed Constabulary, and 1000 other police personnel.

Delhi Police had issued notice to 20 other farmer unions’ leaders including Yogendra Yadav, Rakesh Tikait, Balbir Singh Rajewal Surjeet Singh Phool, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, and others in connection with the violence that took place on Republic Day in Delhi. According to a senior police officer, notice had been issued to all farmer union leaders who attended the meeting with the Delhi Police, agreed to all 36 conditions, and signed the undertaking to conduct the rally on Republic Day. Around 25 FIRs had been registered by the Delhi police in the matter and 19 accused arrested and 50 persons had been detained. Even UAPA was invoked to discourage the farmers.

At the night of January 28, Rakesh Tikait, one of the most vocal and assertive farmer-leaders, had broken down for some moments, tears flowing from his eyes. He, at the protest site in Ghazipur, had stated in clear terms that the protests would go on till the three contentious farm-laws with glaring loopholes are not repealed. He stated, “They want to destroy the farmers, we will not allow this to happen. Either the laws are repealed or Tikait would kill himself. This is a conspiracy against the farmers.”

The tears of Tikait turned out to be the turning point in Ghazipur site of protests. A Mahapanchayat was called. He stated that even though the water supply was cut off, the farmers, especially he would not back down. That created a flurry of response from the villages nearby. Water and Matthi were brought to the site.

Also See: Overview of the Farmers’ unions in the protests

Thousands of farmers gathered at a Muzaffarnagar town on Friday for a ‘Mahapanchayat’ in support of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU)-led protest at the Ghazipur. The Kisan Mahapanchayat was held a day after the Ghazipur border saw the deployment of policemen in heavy numbers which led to a significant decrease in the numbers of protesters at the agitation site. The emotional breaking down of Tikait became the driving force for hundreds of farmers from various districts like Meerut, Baghpat, Barout to return to to the protest site late at night.

On Friday, the GIC ground near Mahaveer Chowk in Muzaffarnagar was packed, a sea of people came together to extend their support to the protesters at UP Gate in Ghazipur. Hundreds of tractors with the tricolour and flags of farm unions were parked along city roads, disrupting traffic movement.

The GIC ground was the centre stage and scores of regional farmer leaders took the mic to back the protesters at the UP Gate in Ghazipur.

Delhi deputy CM, Manish Sisodia, visited the sites and examined the water supply and the toilet facilities. Former union minister Ajit Singh of the Rashtriya Lok Dal communicated with BKU and extended his party’s support. His son Jayant Chowdhury asked Tikait & BKU, in a tone of assurance, not to worry & that the protesters need to stay united. Sukhbir Singh Badal, leader of SAD, alleged that the GOI is using brute force against the protesting farmers.

Also See: An overview of Farmers’ protests-role of Charan Singh

Crowd swelled in support of the farmers

Villagers blocked the Jind-Chandigarh highway on the intervening night of January 29 for two hours in support of the farmers’ protests. One of the farmers, Surendra said, “The villagers have decided to conduct a symbolic dharna in support of the farmers’ protest.”

Hundreds of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) members stayed put on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway on Friday as the crowd swelled there overnight, notwithstanding the Ghaziabad administration’s ultimatum to vacate the UP Gate protest site. On a call of the BKU, more farmers from western Uttar Pradesh districts such as Meerut, Baghpat, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, and Bulandshahr reached the UP Gate by early morning to join the stir, even as the security forces at the protest site thinned out overnight. Many of the deployed security personnel (around 1900), including those from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF), left the protest site in the dead of the night following official instructions.

Tikait was not alone-many braved cold with him

Tikait, flanked by supporters at 1 am, remained at the centre-stage of the protest site, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which has been barricaded from both sides, prohibiting regular traffic movement. Around 500 protesters stayed put at the UP Gate with more pouring in from western Uttar Pradesh in the night on the call of the BKU, an influential farmers’ union in north India.

Several protesters waved the tricolour with some waving flags of farmer unions such as the Kisan Ekta Manch amid a continuous sloganeering of “jai jawan, jai kisan”, while many of them were lying down on mattresses covered in blankets as they braved the bone-chilling cold and wind.

One of the protesting farmer, Jagat Singh Rathi, 78, said, “Zaroorat padhi to khade rehke dharna denge, tum dharne pe baithe rehne ki baat karte ho (I can protest while standing up and you are asking me whether I am going to continue my sit-in protest).” With a muffler tied around his head and a stick in his hand for support while walking, the septuagenarian from Meerut said that he has been at the BKU’s protest since the agitation was launched on November 27-28 last year.

Asked if he would vacate the protest site following the administration’s communication, Rathi said, “(UP Gate) khaali nahi karenge. We have not seen any such order to vacate the protest site. When the Supreme Court has said that farmers have a right to protest, then what? We will do it.” Ankit Sahrawat, a farmer from Muzaffarnagar, said that he reached the UP Gate early on Friday along with 40-50 people.

Boycott of President’s address

A total of 16 political parties including, Congress, NCP, J-K National Conference, DMK, AITC, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, RJD, CPI (M), CPI, IUML, RSP, PDP, MDMK, Kerala Congress (M), and AIUDF, boycotted the President’s address in the Parliament to register their protest against the three farm laws. Apart from these 16 parties, BSP, AAP and SAD also boycotted the President’s address. MPs from the Left parties also held a protest march to Parliament in support of farmers agitating against the farm laws.