RTI reveals Delhi Police spent over Rs 9 lakh to barricade farmers’ protest sites

RTI reveals Delhi Police spent over Rs 9 lakh to barricade farmers’ protest sites

RTI reveals Delhi Police spent over Rs 9 lakh to barricade farmers’ protest sites RTI reveals Delhi Police spent over Rs 9 lakh to barricade farmers’ protest sites .

India Today filed a Right to Information request with the Delhi Police to find out how much money was spent on barricading and deploying security personnel at farmers' protest sites on the outskirts of the national capital. advertisement June 21, 2021 16:34 IST Multi-layer barricading with concrete walls erected between barriers and barbed wire were installed at the protest sites (PTI photo).

On February 1, 2021, the Delhi Police turned the three major farmers' protest sites at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur into fortresses. Roads were cemented with beds of nails, and concrete walls were erected between barriers. Multi-layer barricading and lines upon lines of police personnel were deployed. These sites resembled conflict zones and not the outskirts of the national capital of India. The measures were taken after clashes broke out between the police and the protesters during the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day.

It attracted the attention of not just the Indian media but the international press as well. The BBC gave the headline, "India farmer protests: 'War-like fortification' to protect Delhi"; while Al Jazeera said, "Iron spikes, concrete walls at India farmer protest sites”.

To find out how much money was spent on barricading these sites, India Today filed a Right to Information (RTI) request with the Delhi Police. We also asked how much money the police department spent on security deployment at different farmer protest locations.

We received three responses from three different police districts where these barricades were erected. Outer District, under whose jurisdiction the Tikri Border comes, said, “As per the report, total fund of Rs 7,49,078/- has been utilised in Outer District till date for creating multilayer barricades at farmers protest site at Tikri Border.” Our query about the cost of security deployment went unanswered.

The Ghazipur protest site comes under East District of the Delhi Police. It said, “Total Rs 1.57 lakhs have been spent in East District”. To our query on funds shelled out by the Delhi Police on security deployment, the response was “nil”. Security deployment was stepped up at various border points around Delhi in response to the farmers' protest. (PTI photo)

The third protest site, Singhu border, comes under the Outer North District Police. Authorities refused to divulge anything and wrote, “As per the report of HAG/OND the information can’t be given at this state since the movement is still going on.”

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Farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders since November last year demanding that the three farm laws be repealed and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops. In the ensuing months, protests by farmers have also picked up in parts of Haryana and Punjab in a bid to ramp up pressure on the government to meet their demands.