Akhilesh Yadav Detained After Sit-in Near Home to Back Farmer Protests

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was detained by police on Monday after party workers led by him broke through security cordon to sit on a dharna outside his home in Lucknow. He was stopped by the police from taking out the march to Kannauj for participating in ‘Kisan Pad Yatra’ with heavy barricading and police deployment outside his home.

Yadav then sat on a dharna after he was stopped from taking out the march, while his party workers tried to break the cordon. Following this, he detained and was taken to Eco Garden. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also alleged that the administration had seized his vehicles.

“If the farmers are not happy with the law made for the farmers, then the government should take them back. The government is not listening to the voice of the farmers,” he said. The SP Chief also said that the SP workers were giving arrests in many districts of Uttar Pradesh and he was also being stopped from going to Kannauj. “They can put us in jail if they wish,” he said.

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP government, Yadav on Monday tweeted, “Jahan tak jati hai nazar wahan tak log tere khilaf hain, ae zulmi hakim tu kis-kis ko nazarband karega,” (As far as the eye goes, people are against you, O oppressor, who will you arrest?)

The SP is vehemently in opposition of the new agriculture laws and has backed the Bharat Bandh call on December 8. The party has said Kisan Yatra should be taken out in every district of the state. This yatra, under the leadership of Yadav, is also being seen as the SP’s preparation for 2022 assembly elections.

The SP workers demonstrated on Monday in several districts of Uttar Pradesh. During this time, SP workers broke barricades in many cities, including Lucknow, after which many activists were detained.