Farmers gather to attend panchayat in Shamli amidst Section 144

The district administration in Shamli has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC from February 4 till April 3.

A huge crowd emerged at Shamli in Uttar Pradesh on Friday for the pre-decided panchayat. Even though, the district administration had denied permission for the fifth mahapanchayat at Bhainswal village on Thursday, thousands of farmers gathered at Shamli. Protest songs blared through the open ground from the mics while one of the songs appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pay heed to the demands of the farmers.

The district administration in Shamli has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC that prohibits any public gathering of four or more than four persons, from February 4 till April 3. The administration denied permission for the panchayat citing COVID-19 protocol and "chances of unruly behaviour" by farmers.

However, the organizers, including the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), were determined to organize the protest. RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary asserted that the denial would not deter them and had tweeted, "144 reasons why I will go to Shamli tomorrow!"

Several such meetings or panchayats have been planned across Uttar Pradesh between February 5 and 18 by the BKU which will be presided by Rakesh Tikait. Earlier this week, Mr Tikait had addressed a crowd in Haryana. Thousands of farmers have been agitating against the three farm laws since over two months.