At least 50 farmers were detained by the Gurugram Police in Manesar when they tried to march to Delhi to protest "unfair" compensation for over 1,800 acres of farmland sold to the state government.
The protesters were taken to the Manesar Police Lines in two buses, said police. The farmers alleged that they were not given the right price for 1,810 acres of land in five villages in Manesar and decided to protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Tuesday.
Police, after getting information, sent notices to many farmer leaders late Monday evening, but the farmers still gathered Tuesday morning under the banner of Dakshin Haryana Kisan Khap Samiti, ready to march. More than 500 policemen were deployed in Manesar to stop the farmers from marching to the national capital, an officer said.
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The entire Manesar area was converted into a cantonment in the morning. At around noon, when farmers started moving towards Delhi, police took them into custody. Farmer leaders called the Haryana government a dictatorship over the police action.
"The government wants to loot the farmers' land by taking it at throwaway prices," said Mahendra Singh, a farmer leader. "Today, the farmers wanted to march peacefully to Delhi but the government adopted a dictatorial attitude and did not allow the farmers to go beyond Manesar. The government is afraid of the farmers' movement, but until the demand for MSP guarantee is not met, the farmers' movement will continue," Santokh Singh, one of the protesters, said.
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Manesar Assistant Commissioner of Police Surender Singh said section 144 had been imposed in the area and anyone who tries to breach the order will be dealt with by police. "Vehicular movement is normal between Delhi-Gurugram and the situation is under control," the officer said.
