Bhatta Parsaul women cancel march to Mulayam`s hou

Greater Noida: A group of protesting women and villagers of Bhatta Parsaul Friday cancelled their march to the residence of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at Delhi on Republic Day, following the intervention of a senior party leader.

UP Agro Industrial Corporation Limited Chairman Narinder Bhati met the group of women, who were on hunger strike for past six days outside the Collectorate, and assured them to withdraw all the cases against the farmers. After Bhati`s assurance, the protestors ended their hunger strike and cancelled the march to SP supremo`s Delhi residence. The villagers, however, threatened to launch agitation if the case were not withdrawn as assured in next two weeks. Almost three months have passed since the UP government announced withdrawal of cases slapped against farmers of Bhatta Parsaul, but the farmers claimed that they were still getting court notices. Twenty cases were registered against hundreds of farmers at Dankaur Police station since the farmers agitation started in January 17, 2011. Around sixty farmers were named as accused while rest were shown as unknown. Police had shortlisted around 14 farmers who were booked under charges of kidnapping, attempt to murder, murder, rioting and other IPC sections. Nine farmers are still in jail while the rest have got bail. The agitation of farmers against land acquisition had turned violent on May 7, 2011. Two farmers and as many policemen were killed and several others injured in an exchange of fire. The state government had withdrawn the criminal cases lodged against the farmers on November 1 last year, a promise Akhilesh Yadav had made while campaigning for Assembly polls in the state. "The farmers on bail were getting court notices to appear in the case and nine farmers including our leader Manveer Singh Tevatia were still in jail," Sunita Devi one of Bhatta woman said. PTI