Farmers protest live updates: 44 people arrested over Singhu border violence, say Delhi police

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) supporters stayed put on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway on Friday as the crowd swelled there, notwithstanding the Ghaziabad administration's ultimatum to vacate the UP Gate protest site where security force in large numbers was re-deployed.

The Delhi Police on Friday asked nine farmer leaders to join the investigation in connection with the violence at Red Fort on January 26, officials said. According to officials, the special investigation team (SIT) of Delhi Police has asked farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait, Pawan Kumar, Raj Kishore Singh, Tajender Singh Virk, Jitender Singh, Trilochan Singh, Gurmukh Singh, Harpreet Singh and Jagtar Singh Bajwa to join the investigation. The notices have been forwarded through whatsapp to them. A police team has also physically visited the tents where they were staying and pasted it there, officials said.

As the farmers' protest at Ghazipur border in Ghaziabad got a new lease of life, the opposition Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party on Friday rallied support for the movement and slammed the BJP over the contentious farm laws. The size of Bharatiya Kisan Union protesters camping at the Ghazipur border with Delhi had come down to around 500 Thursday night following an ultimatum given by the local administration to vacate the site, as additional security force personnel were deployed there. However, the crowd increased manifold overnight and continued during the day as more protesters joined the stir from western UP on the call of BKU leaders.

Condemning Friday's violence by a group of miscreants at Singhu on Delhi-Haryana border, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh urged the Centre to conduct a thorough probe to identify "so-called locals" who broke through tight security to attack farmers and their property.

Urging all farmers across India to send one member of their family at Delhi borders to participate in the protest, Swaraj India Chief Yogendra Yadav on Friday said the agitation against the three farm laws is not over. Speaking at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border, Yadav said 'four drops' of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait's tears washed the bad name that was given to the farmers, and added that "Modi ji and Yogi ji and all others must listen carefully, farmers will not go back from this movement humiliated and defamed." Yadav said Delhi police has issued a look-out notice against the farmers' leaders and alleged that they (leaders) will be charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).