The Noida police conducted raids in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, Faridabad in Haryana and Delhi to arrest farmers' leader Manveer Singh Tewatia, facing the charge of inciting farmers of Bhatta-Parsaul and Achheypur villages in Greater Noida to violence.
Special Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal told reporters that 19 cases of “serious nature” were pending against Tewatia.
“A haven for arms”
Mr. Lal, who returned here on Tuesday after marshalling the forces in Greater Noida, said the dharna site at Bhatta-Parsaul was turned into a haven for illegal arms and ammunition.
He charged Mr. Tewatia with having formed a gang of wayward youths of these villages and led the violence against the police. “How can he be called a farmers' leader, he is a criminal.”
The DGP office here has announced a Rs. 50,000 reward for information leading to Mr. Tewatia's arrest.
The Meerut police have announced a reward of Rs. 15,000 each on Neeraj Malik and Premvir and Rs. 10,000 each on Gaje Singh, Manoj and Kiranpal, all of them Mr. Tewatia's accomplices.
Mr. Lal said normality was fast returning to the affected villages, where the police launched confidence-building measures. The residents were returning home.
He denied that the standing wheat crop was set ablaze by policemen; he blamed it on farmers.
The bandh called by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Aligarh, Agra and Mathura evoked no response, Mr. Lal said.
