The Delhi Police has arrested former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Yogendra Yadav for holding protests against the Land Bill without permission. Dramatic scenes were witnessed outside Parliament Street police station in Delhi on Monday night after the Swaraj Abhiyan member was dragged and detained for keeping up their protest even as their allotted time for protest was supposed to end on Monday evening.
Yadav along with farmers were detained by the Delhi Police from Jantar Mantar. While the Swaraj Abhiyan member claimed that they were having a peaceful protest and had the permission for the same, the police has maintained that they were permitted to hold the protest only till Monday evening. The Delhi Police also maintained that Yadav and his supporters were told to leave Jantar Mantar keeping in mind the security concerns over Independence Day.
In a surprising move, the protest drew support from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal just a few months after the two leaders parted ways after a bitter feud. "I strongly condemn the treatment meted out to Yogendraji by Delhi Police. They were protesting peacefully. It is their fundamental right," he tweeted on Tuesday morning.
Yadav's fellow Swaraj Abhiyan member Prashant Bhushan also got into a verbal altercation with the police. Questioning the move, he called the move 'illegal'. "What is his crime? Yadav has been illegally detained," he said.
The Swaraj Abhiyan group led by AAP rebels Yadav and Bhushan had said that they will keep protesting till Independence Day after they were prevented from placing a "plough" in a symbol of protest outside the Prime Minister's residence.
The protesters were prevented by police from marching any further than Jantar Mantar. "We don't believe in politics of deception; we work with honesty. We presented the government with an offer that only 20 women volunteers will go peacefully and place this 'plough' there, but police rejected that, so, now we will stand here till we are allowed to move forward," Yadav had said before being detained.
"We will stand here holding this plough until the government and police allow us to move towards the Race Course. We hope this small satyagraha will bring some awareness about the situation of farmers," he had said.
Earlier, the march -- part of the 'Jai Kisan Andolan' launched to protest against "anti-farmer" steps such as the Land Acquisition Bill -- made its way through various parts of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh after being flagged off at Sangrur on August 1. The tractor march was supposed to culminate at Race Course on Monday.
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