Farmers protests: Tens of thousands of visiting farmers make Kheri stir epicentre

While farmers belonging to the Bhartiya Kisan Union and other unions were seen in large numbers, several farmers said they came on their own to express solidarity with families of the deceased, two of who were below 21. Farmers kept trickling in from Rampur to Rudrapur to Bareily and beyond even after the bodies were moved from the site of the crime and taken for autopsy following an agreement the administration reached with agitators. The state government, meanwhile, reenforced the police by moving cops from various other districts.

“We just felt a lot of pain for the farmers killed and came to have a last glimpse and show solidarity… we came on our own, not on the call of any organisation,” Dilbagh Singh from Bazpur in Uttarakhand told ET.

Trucks, some by gurudwara committees serving simple food or langar, were parked at intervals along the narrow road leading to the site where farmers were run over. Sunday’s incident and the strong show of solidarity expanded the intensity of the agitation beyond western UP and pocketboroughs of Rakesh Tikait and Narendra Tikait.

“Farmers were going back from the helipad after the deputy CM cancelled his programme. But it was the minister’s arrogance. He could not accept the fact farmers could stand up to him, which created trouble. His son loaded his revolvers, travelled in his open-air jeep chasing farmers, killed some and injured others. The jeep lost balance and overturned, killing four other workers,” UP chief of BKU, Rajbeer Singh Jadhav alleged, while speaking to ET. “The others who died have no relation with the minister or their party. They were used…we have video recording… The post-mortem will reveal the truth,” he said.

Teni contested the farmers’ view. “Had my son been there, he would have been killed,” he said.