Following the massive 'Delhi Kooch’ (March to Delhi) by farmers from Greater Noida on Monday (December 2), the Uttar Pradesh government had assured the Joint Struggle Committee that the Chief Secretary would meet with them to address their demands.

Based on this promise, the farmers decided to stage a peaceful dharna at Dalit Prerna Sthal without disrupting traffic.

However, early on Tuesday morning, police began cordoning off villages to prevent farmers from reaching the venue and forcibly detained hundreds of protesters, including many women.

Over 160 farmers participating in the sit-in were arrested, including Bharatiya Kisan Parishad president Sukhbir Khalifa.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has strongly condemned the police crackdown on protesting farmers, labelling it a violation of their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. The SKM called upon the judiciary to intervene and uphold democratic principles.

In a statement, the farmers' collective accused the police of forcibly removing protesters from the site and arresting "hundreds of farmers, including over one hundred women."

The SKM claimed that this action disregarded the agreement reached on December 2, wherein the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary was to hold discussions with farmers' representatives within seven days to address their demands. The farmers' collective expressed outrage at what they described as a betrayal of trust and pledged to continue their fight for justice.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shiv Hari Meena said that the arrests were made around 1:30 PM under Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), a provision that allows detention to prevent cognizable offenses.

Along with Khalifa, prominent leaders such as Pawan Khatana, the state president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Western Uttar Pradesh), were among those detained. The protesters were subsequently taken to Luksar Jail in Noida.

The crackdown drew sharp criticism, with Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Naresh Tikait condemning the arrests during a panchayat in Muzaffarnagar. He reaffirmed the farmers' resolve to continue their struggle for their "just demands."

The protest stemmed from the farmers’ demands for fair compensation for government-acquired land and a discussion on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

On Monday, they had gathered near the Mahamaya flyover and attempted to march to Delhi, but were stopped by police near Dalit Prerna Sthal, where they began their dharna.

The protest began with a Kisan Mahapanchayat held on November 25, outside the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority office. On November 28, protesters shifted from Greater Noida to Yeida, intensifying their demand for the implementation of farmer welfare recommendations.

Farmers are demanding 10% developed plots under the new land acquisition law, 64.7% and four times the market rate as compensation, 20% plots and comprehensive benefits of employment and rehabilitation for the children of both landholders and landless farmers and resolution of pending settlement claims.

Despite the arrests, the farmers, who had gathered from various parts of Uttar Pradesh in response to a call by the SKM, had warned of resuming their march to Delhi if their demands—such as fair land compensation—were not addressed within seven days.