Heavy traffic jam at Delhi-UP border amid farmers' arrival to join wrestlers' protest

Delhi Police have beefed up security arrangements at Jantar Mantar, where wrestlers are staging a sit-in, and in border areas of the city as hundreds of farmers are expected to visit the protest site on Sunday to extend support to the grapplers.

Vehicles entering Delhi were being checked and pickets were increased at Delhi-Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu borders, said a PTI report. Amidst this, a massive traffic jam was observed at Delhi-UP border.

This comes as on Saturday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced a nationwide agitation in support of the wrestlers who have been protesting at Jantar Mantar against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

It said several senior leaders of SKM from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh will visit Jantar Mantar on Sunday with hundreds of farmers.

It also demanded the immediate arrest of Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by some of the women wrestlers.

In view of this, security forces have been deployed and activities at the protest site are being monitored round the clock through CCTVs to ensure that no untoward incident takes place, a senior police officer told PTI.

"We have taken adequate security measures to ensure that the protest at Jantar Mantar remains peaceful. CCTV surveillance is being done and we have deployed an adequate number of security personnel there. Those visiting the protest site are being checked thoroughly as part of precautionary measures," he said.

Multiple layers of barricades have also been put in place at the protest site as well as at the border areas of Delhi.

Meanwhile, another senior officer said, "We have intensified our patrolling in the border areas of Delhi, be it Ghazipur, Singhu or Tikri. We have also enhanced the number of pickets and are carrying out intensive checking of vehicles."

The wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar since April 23.

On April 28, Delhi Police registered two FIRs against Singh on the basis of complaints filed by seven women wrestlers, including a minor.

(With inputs from PTI)