THE Modi-Yogi led ‘double engine’ Uttar Pradesh government, arrested more than 300 farmers at Prerana Sthal on the Noida-Delhi border on December 3. The arrests were made as farmers from Greater Noida, protesting under the banners of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), demanded fair compensation for land acquisitions, updated land valuation rates, and enforcement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

Reports indicate that pre-emptive arrests of kisan and trade union leaders began on December 2. The Uttar Pradesh police also used lathicharges and erected barbed barricades to suppress the demonstrations. These actions have drawn comparisons to the state repression witnessed during the historic farmers' protests on Delhi’s borders in 2020-2021.

The protesting farmers said that land valuation rates in Greater Noida have remained stagnant since 2017, failing to reflect current market realities. They also accuse the Greater Noida Development Authority of disregarding provisions of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, which mandates fair compensation and rehabilitation for displaced farmers.

The Delhi state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned the police action as “brutal” and demanded the immediate release of all arrested protestors. It also called on the Uttar Pradesh government and the Greater Noida Development Authority to engage in dialogue with the farmers and address their just demands.

“This is yet another instance of the double-engine government prioritising repression over resolving genuine grievances. The farmers’ demands are legitimate, and the government must fulfill its constitutional obligation to ensure justice,” CPI(M) said in a press statement issued on December 3.