Over 1,800 BKU workers held in UP

Lucknow, Nov 18 (UNI) Over 1,800 Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) workers, on way to attend a mahapanchayat in Meerut, were today arrested across Uttar Pradesh.

The arrest was made as the workers would have disturbed peace by participating in the panchayat being orgainsed to protest the arrest of BKU president Chaudhary Mahendra Singh Tikait and the closure of sugarmills.

According to state ADGP (Crime, Law and Order) Brajlal the arrest was made across the state including Meerut, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Aligarh, Unnao, Agra, Bijnaur, Rampur, Basti and Pilibhit.

However, no untoward incident was reported during the agitation, he added.

Earlier, BKU national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait told UNI on telephone ''thousands of farmers were halted by police at several places, restricting them to participate in the panchayat.'' Closure of sugar mills, arrest of BKU president and reimbursement of the due cane price were the main demands of the farmers.

Meanwhile, the BKU chief and his 11 supporters were transferred to Hamirpur jail from Meerut prison.

On November 12, Baghpat district court had directed to send Mr Tikait to jail in a 17-year-old case.

UNI