Farmers' stir in Noida enters 10th day

Scores of young men held a shirtless protest here on Wednesday as part of an ongoing farmers' agitation against the Noida Authority.

The protest, which began on February 10, is being headed by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangathan (BKS). The farmers have been pressing for demands, including additional 64 per cent compensation for their land acquired by the Noida Authority over the years and a plot of 10 per cent the size of the total land acquired.

The Noida Authority had on Tuesday deliberated over the matter in a four-hour-long meeting with the farmers' representatives and assured that their demands would be considered but no conclusive resolution could be reached, an official said.

On Wednesday, the 10th day of the protest, the farmers organised a 'havan' outside the authority's Sector 6 headquarters amid heavy security.

"The 'havan' was done so that the Noida Authority gets 'shuddh buddhi'," Sukhvir Pahalwan, a BKS leader, said.

Some women protestors attempted to barge into the office to meet the officials but were brought back, Pahalwan added.

Last week, 11 protestors were arrested and jailed for three days, while scores were booked on Tuesday for defying section 144 of the CrPC which is in place in Noida, officials said.