Thousands of farmers have already arrived at Muzaffarnagar's GIC ground, where a mahapanchayat is set to take place today, September 5th, amid heavy security.
As the protest approaches its tenth month, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the umbrella organization of the 40 farmer unions, stated that they will convene a mahapanchayat to launch their Mission Uttar Pradesh and debate the three problematic farm laws that have been in effect since November 2020.
Since midnight, farmers from various regions of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana have begun congregating on the ground.
The Uttar Pradesh government has stepped up security in Muzaffarnagar ahead of the Mahapanchayat, anticipating record crowds. 2 rapid action force (RAF) companies, as well as 8 provincial armed constabulary (PAC) companies totaling over 1,000 soldiers, have been deployed in the city.
According to the Indian Express, a thousand additional police officers from the Meerut zone would be deployed in addition to these elite security forces. According to the police, drones fitted with cameras and CCTVs will be deployed to monitor the big event.
SKM released a press statement on Friday, 3 September, after protesting farmers in Haryana's Karnal were lathi-charged on August 28. The leaders observed that SDM Ayush Sinha "was not acting on his own," and that "his political superiors were the ones who ordered the smashing of farmers' skulls."
The organization has threatened to seize the Mini Secretariat in Karnal if no action is done before September 6.
Following 11 rounds of negotiations between protesting farmers and the central government, both parties have reached a stalemate, with the administration refusing to continue conversations unless farmer unions abandon their demand for the laws to be repealed.
Farmers, who have been protesting the controversial regulations since November 2020, have requested that they be repealed completely and that laws guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops be included.
