Farmers in Haryana on Friday, surrounded BJP leaders who had gone to a temple in Kiloi village in Rohtak district, to watch the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Kedarnath. They have been holding the leaders hostage for the past six hours.
The farmers, who have been protesting for over a year against the controversial farm laws, demanded apology from former minister Manish Grover, who is also among those held hostage. They demanded an apology from Mr. Grover whose comments they found objectionable and said that they had given half-an-hour to Mr. Grover to apologise.
The police have been trying to disperse the gathering. They said that more personnel have been rushed to the spot from other districts to bring the situation under control. The Delhi-Hisar National Highway has been shut for traffic and two of the protestors have been arrested.
Party organization minister Ravindra Raju, Mayor Manmohan Goyal, BJP district chief Ajay Bansal and party leader Satish Nandal are among those held hostage.
The farmers have meanwhile asked locals to surround the temple from all sides. According to reports, policemen from Sonipat and Jhajjar have reached the spot. Police have been told to be ready for any situation.
BJP leaders have faced trouble from protesting groups of farmers since the controversial farm laws were introduced. Farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these laws. They allege that the laws would shift control of agriculture to private hands. The government though, has denied the allegations.
