Lucknow Police warns of strict action against those who participate in Rail Roko

Lucknow Police have threatened to take strict action against those who would participate in the 'Rail Roko Andolan' called by farmer unions on Monday.

The police said those who try to disrupt normalcy will be booked under the National Security Act (NSA) as Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which prohibits the gathering of four or more people, has been imposed in Lucknow.

"Police will take action against those who will participate in the 'Rail Roko Andolan' called by farmers organization. 144 CrPC is also imposed in the district and will impose NSA if anyone tries to disrupt normalcy," Lucknow Police said.

Lucknow Police Commissioner Dhruva Kant Thakur has given directions to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, assistant deputy commissioner of police, inspectors in charge in the Police Commissionerate, Lucknow, to "not let any anti-national activity take place" and asked them to take action against 'anti-social' elections involved in such activity under relevant sections of the law. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a six-hour-long nationwide 'Rail roko' agitation on Monday demanding the removal of Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni from the Union Cabinet over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, in which his son Ashish Mishra Teni is an accused.

A statement issued by the umbrella body of farmers' unions on Sunday read, "To press for its demand for Ajay Mishra's dismissal and arrest, so that justice can be secured in Lakhimpur Kheri violence, SKM has announced a nation-wide rail roko program on October 18."

"SKM put out a call to its constituents to stop rail traffic for six hours on October 18, between 10 am and 4 pm. SKM asked for this action to be taken up peacefully, without any destruction and damage of any kind to any railway property," it said further.

A total of eight people including four farmers died in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on October 3.

However, MoS Teni had refuted the allegations saying that his son was not present at the site of the incident. Ashish reiterated the same and refuted SKM's allegations.

Later, several people, including Ashish Mishra, were arrested in the case.