LG Najeeb Jung denies Yogendra Yadav nod to continue stir

NEW DELHI: The farmers' protests taking place at Jantar Mantar that was broken up by Delhi Police on Monday night has been suspended till Independence Day. A small team led by Yogendra Yadav, a member of Swaraj Abhiyan which has organized the protest, met lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung on Wednesday evening to ask for permission to continue with the protest, which the latter denied in view of security concerns ahead of August 15.

"The protest in Delhi has been suspended till Saturday. A roadmap for further action will be revealed soon," said another Swaraj Abhiyan member.

The meeting with the LG followed high drama in the afternoon as members of the Abhiyan tried to march towards the Parliament Street police station to ask for permission to continue with the protest at Jantar Mantar and for the police to return its plough that it had confiscated in the early hours of Tuesday.

Police blocked the protesters at Jantar Mantar and finally allowed 5-6 people, including Yadav, to meet senior police officials. However, the team returned disappointed on both counts.

"Our demand was to give us back our plough, which is a symbol of our movement, so that we can continue our satyagraha. We said that, since the case against us has been dismissed by the high court and the magistrate, they cannot keep our plough, but they refused to listen," Yadav said.

They then sought an appointment with the LG and met him in the evening. "The LG assured us that our plough will be returned to us but that we should not persist with the protest since he had concerns regarding security for Independence Day," said a source.