Farmers' march: 11 member farmers delegation to meet Agricultural Ministry officials

After police stopped the protesting farmers from marching towards Kisan Ghat in Delhi, an 11-member delegation of farmers will be meeting officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, allegedly in their last-ditch attempt to have their demands accepted by the government.

Hundreds of farmers from across the Western Uttar Pradesh were forced to culminate at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border at Ghazipur when police halted their forward march by putting barricades across the road on Saturday morning. Farmers sat on protest after being stopped at the border.

"Eleven representatives are being taken to the Ministry of Agriculture. If our demands are accepted, then we will return from here (Delhi-UP border) else we will march to Delhi," said Puran Singh, President, Bhartiya Kisan Sangathan.

"We are going to the Agricultural Ministry for talks. If they accept our demands and we reach any consensus then it is okay otherwise our protest will continue," said Deepak Som, vice-president, Bhartiya Kisan Sangathan.

The farmers are holding march pushing forth their demands of payment of sugarcane crop dues, full loan waiver and making electricity used in farming free among others.

Farmers mainly from across the Western Uttar Pradesh gathered at the Ghazipur border as they planned to hold the march upto Kisan Ghat, the memorial of Chaudhary Charan Singh, a renowned farmer leader, located in heart of national capital.

Personnel of Delhi Police and paramilitary manned the gateway to Delhi at Ghazipur putting up barricades and equipped with riot gears. Water cannon were also deployed to stop the marching farmers. While on the other side of the border heavy deployment of Uttar Pradesh police along with PAC and RAF is being seen.

Uttar Pradesh's farmers were embarked on a march to Kishan Ghat in Delhi on Saturday after talks between Bhartiya Kisan Sanghatan and the Agriculture Ministry failed in Noida. The march began on September 11, against the rise of electricity tariff among others.

( With inputs from ANI )