New Delhi: Delhi Police on Wednesday held 37 farmer leaders including Medha Patkar, Buta Singh and Yogendra Yadav responsible for Tuesday's violence in the national capital during the farmers' Republic Day tractor rally.
In another FIR, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has been named for violating multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sec 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 353 (assault/criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), the Delhi Police said in a statement today.
In the FIR on the violence at ITO, Police mentions the sequence of the incident in which a farmer died after his tractor overturned. It mentions that the farmers were proceeding towards Central Delhi and they were constantly requested to maintain law and order.
The FIR states that the protesting farmers arrived in tractors and tried to hit police officials. The police had a close shave and left from the spot, later they got to know that the farmer succumbed to his injuries.
In the FIR filed at Samaypur Badi, police held 37 farmer leaders including Medha Patkar, Buta Singh, Yogendra Yadav among others, responsible for the Republic Day violence.
Police said that their "pre-planned objective of not following the mutually agreed route and the timing of the commencement of the so-called parade was meant to disrupt the Republic Day Parade” and their gathering was also in violation of the guidelines in view of COVID 19.
"They thereby committed an offence under 47, 148, 149, 152, 186, 188, 269, 353, 332, 307, 395, 397, 120B, 34 IPC and three Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act", the Delhi Police statement said.
These stand for: Sec 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (punishment for rioting) & 353 (assault/criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), IPC Sec 395 (dacoity), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and120 b (punishment of criminal conspiracy).
Apart from Tikait, Darshan Pal, Rajinder Singh, Balbir Singh Rajewal, Buta Singh Burjgil and Joginder Singh Ugraha have been named in the FIRs for breach of NOC issued regarding farmers' tractor rally, the Delhi Police said.
A total of 22 FIRs have been filed by the Delhi Police after protestors broke barricades to enter Delhi and indulged in vandalism across several parts of the national capital during their tractor rally organised to protest against the Centre's three new farm laws.
Several public and private properties were damaged in acts of vandalism by the rioters, where over 300 police personnel were injured.
One FIR also mentioned the incident at ITO where a farmer died after his tractor overturned.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Police said the post-mortem of the farmer who died during the tractor rally in Delhi's ITO (Income tax Office area) on Tuesday, succumbed to the antemortem injuries, and that he was not shot, as claimed by some farmers earlier.
Farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
