NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait was detained by Aligarh Police on Wednesday while traveling to Greater Noida to attend a meeting of farmer leaders, according to a police official. Tikait, along with his associates, was intercepted on the Yamuna Expressway and taken to the Tappal police station in a bus.
An Aligarh Police spokesperson confirmed that Tikait had been “detained” but clarified that he was “not arrested.”
Speaking to reporters, Tikait criticised the authorities, accusing them of restricting farmers’ movements to prevent them from reaching Noida and Greater Noida.
“How long will you detain us? If you keep us locked, then with whom will you talk?” he questioned.
He warned that if such measures by the authorities continued, the farmers’ agitation would only intensify.
On Tuesday, the BKU held an emergency meeting at Kisan Bhawan in Sisauli village, Muzaffarnagar, under the leadership of BKU chief Naresh Tikait. The union resolved to support farmers in Noida and Greater Noida, who are protesting over land compensation and other issues.
Anuj Singh, president of the BKU’s youth wing, stated that members and workers from western Uttar Pradesh were called to gather at the Zero Point in Greater Noida on Wednesday to support the ongoing agitation.
Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers gathered at the Zero Point in Greater Noida on Wednesday to protest against the administration and local authorities. The demonstrators demanded fair compensation and additional benefits for land acquired by the state government in previous years.
The Gautam Buddh Nagar police had detained over 100 protestors during the agitation on Tuesday. Among those detained were women and elderly individuals, who were later released, according to Police commissioner Laxmi Singh.
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