Delhi Police Issues Notice To 20 Farmer Leaders; Lookout Circulars Against Those Named In FIRs

The Delhi Police, which has registered 25 FIRs and booked over 30 farmer leaders in Republic Day clashes, has issued notice to around 20 farmer leaders a to why no legal action should be taken against them. They will also issue lookout circulars and ask them to surrender their passports, officials said on Thursday.

Notices have also been issued to farmer leaders, including Yogendra Yadav and Balbir Singh Rajewal, asking why they should be exempted from legal action, officials said. The notices were issued as the farmer leaders broke the set conditions for Tuesday's tractor parade, officials said. The leaders have been asked to submit their responses within three days.

Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava on Wednesday alleged that farmer leaders were involved in the January 26 violence and warned that no culprit would be spared

Additionally, look our circulars have also been issued to those named in the FIRs filed by the Delhi police. A lookout circular is issued to prevent an accused from travelling abroad.

The FIRs have been registered in connection with the unrest that sparked during the farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on Tuesday. 

The actions against the accused come after a series of meetings chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah since Tuesday, an official from the Home Ministry said.

Shah has been continuously monitoring the situation in Delhi and held meetings even late in the night on Wednesday and again early on Thursday, the official said.

Directives have been given to the Delhi Police to take immediate actions against the accused farmer leaders, he said.

The Delhi Police has registered 25 FIRs, including against over 30 of the 40 farm union leaders who were involved in talks with the central government.

Thirty-seven farm union leaders, including six spokespersons of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), have been named in an FIR registered at the Samaypur Badli police station, in Outer Delhi.

The six SKM spokespersons who have been named are Jagjit Singh Dallewal, president, BKU (Sidhupur); Balbir Singh Rajewal, president, BKU (Rajewal); Darshan Pal, president, Krantikari Kisan Union; Rakesh Tikait, president, BKU; Kulwant Singh Sandhu, general secretary, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha; Yogendra Yadav, president, Swaraj Party India.

Others who have been named in the FIR are Boota Singh Burjgill, president, BKU Dakaunda; Nirbhai Singh Dhudike, president, Kirti Kisan Union; Ruldu Singh Mansa, president, Punjab Kisan Union; Inderjit Singh, president, Kisan Sangharsh Committee among others.

One of the FIRs, on the Red Fort incident, names Punjabi film actor Deep Sidhu and Lakhbir Singh Sidhana alias Lakha Sidhana, gangster-turned-politician and president of the Malwa Youth Federation.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday had alleged that farmer leaders made inflammatory speeches and were involved in the violence during the tractor parade by agitating farmers that left 394 of its personnel injured, as it warned that no culprit will be spared.

Addressing a press conference here, Delhi Police Commissioner S N Srivastava said farmer unions did not follow conditions set for the rally that was supposed to be held from 12 PM to 5 PM with 5,000 tractors and accused them of betrayal.

Sections of protesting farmers broke barriers to storm the national capital on Tuesday, their tractor parade to highlight their demands dissolving into unprecedented scenes of anarchy.

With PTI inputs