Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was arrested today for violating Section 144 of the CrPC after he staged a sit-in near his residence when stopped from proceeding to Kannauj for the farmers' march. Heavy police force was deployed from Samajwadi Party’s office to Yadav’s residence in Lucknow ahead of his yatra announced in solidarity with agitating farmers demanding repulsion of new agriculture laws.
While announcing the solidarity march, Yadav said that SP supports the demands of the farmers and the government should withdraw all three anti-farmer laws.Yadav also wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla over the protests asking him to step in. “Apart from being a Lok Sabha member and Samajwadi Party national president, I had fulfilled my constitutional duty as UP chief minister. There was a pre-announced programme of mine in Kannauj in support of farmers. All preparations were in place. But on the instructions of the UP government, I was prevented from going to Kannauj,” he said.