New Delhi:
Aday after violence during the tractor parade, the Delhi Police has named 37 farmer leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav and Medha Patkar, in an FIR that mentioned charges of rioting, criminal conspiracy and attempt to murder among others, officials said.
The action against the farmer leaders came as Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava alleged that several of them made inflammatory speeches and were involved in the violence.
Police said that the role of farmer leaders will be investigated in connection with the violence that left 394 security personnel injured and a protestor dead.
So far 25 FIRs have been filed, they said.
According to the FIR registered at Samaypur Badli police station against unknown persons, the protestors robbed the official pistol with 10 rounds of ammunition along with two tear gas guns during the violence.
The farmer leaders named in the FIR include Medha Patkar, Yogendra Yadav, Darshan Pal, Gurnam Singh Chanduni, Rakesh Tikait, Kulwant Singh Sandhu, Satnam Singh Pannu, Joginder Singh Ugraha, Surjeet Singh Phool, Jagjeet Singh Dalewal, Balbir Singh Rajewal and Harinder Singh Lakhoval.
Those found guilty would be punished strictly, an official said.
The FIR mentions multiple IPC sections, including 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 353 (assault/criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 120B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy).
In one of the FIRs, a Delhi Police cop claimed that some protestors tried to kill him by ramming their tractor into the barricades.
A police official claimed that number plates of some tractors were hidden during their rally.
Addressing a press conference, Shrivastava claimed 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 their leaders of betrayal.
He alleged that some farmer leaders like Satnam Singh Pannu and Darshan Pal gave inflammatory speeches. Thereafter protesters broke barricades.
By January 25 evening, it became clear that they were not keeping their words. They brought forward the aggressive and militant elements who occupied the stage and delivered provocative speeches, he said.
The farmer leaders alleged that ”anti-social” elements had perpetrated the violence to ”torpedo” their peaceful agitation against the farm laws as part of a ”conspiracy”, and demanded a probe.
According to police, 394 police personnel were injured while 30 police vehicles and 428 barricades were damaged in the violence.
DTC driver Praveen Kumar suffered injuries in the riot and was admitted at ESIC Model Hospital, Basaidarapur, it said.
The FIR said that the protestors and their leaders, with their pre-planned objective of not following the mutually agreed route and the timing of the commencement of the so-called parade of the protestors and disrupting the Republic Day parade, resorted to the incident. Their gathering was also in violation of the COVID-19 guidelines.
Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the protestors. However, the mob started throwing back the tear gas shells towards the police, the FIR stated.
The national capital witnessed clashes between protesters and police during the tractor parade by farmers on the Republic Day to press their demand of repealing three new agri laws.
