New Delhi (PTI): A few farmers from Tamil Nadu, including a woman, on Wednesday climbed onto a mobile tower as they protested at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over demands of better prices for their crops and the river interlinking issue, officials said.

Scores of Tamil Nadu farmers gathered at Jantar Mantar, some of who climbed nearby trees and a mobile tower, police said.

 

Police used a fire brigade crane to bring the farmers back to the ground from the mobile tower, they said.

 

"Around 50 people have come for interlinking of rivers. Two of them tried climbing a mobile tower but they returned back to the ground," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said, adding that some of them tried climbing trees at the site.

 

Protesting farmers said around 100 farmers from Tamil Nadu participated in the demonstration. The farmers said they are demanding a doubling of their income from farm produce, a pension of Rs 5,000, individual insurance, and interlinking of all rivers in India.

 

If their demands were not met they would contest the Lok Sabha polls against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi constituency, the farmers said.

 

A senior official of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said that they got a call about the protest and reached the location with sky lifts and the farmers were removed from the mobile tower.

 

"First call we received at 9.34 am that some people climbed a mobile tower at Jantar Mantar. Our rescue team rushed to the spot and rescued two people from the first location. We received another call from Kerala Bhawan that four persons have climbed another mobile tower. Our team rescued them as well," a senior DFS official said.

"No one received any injury during the entire operation," the official said.

 

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Mumbai, May 5: The BJP has written to the Election Commission of India seeking action against Congress and the opposition leader, Vijay Wadettiwar, for allegedly peddling lies and defaming its Mumbai North Central nominee and ex-26/11 prosecution lawyer Ujjwal Nikam.

Wadettiwar, the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra legislative assembly, purportedly called Nikam an "anti-national" and accused him of hiding the information that then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare wasn't killed by Kasab's bullet during the 26/11 terror attack, but fell to a bullet of a policeman affiliated to RSS.

His allegations were based on the book "Who Killed Karkare" written by retired police officer SM Mushriff.

"As a responsible leader, the opposition leader should desist from making such comments that can help the enemy nation," Nikam said.

Terming Wadettiwar's statements as "false and not based on facts", Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shekar claimed they were aimed at defaming Ujjwal Nikam and inciting emotions.

"We have written to the Election Commission of India seeking action against Wadettiwar who is a star campaigner (of Congress) and also against the Congress party for peddling lies," he added.

Shelar further said (Ajmal) Kasab was sentenced to death for killing innocent people after following a due process of law.

Kasab was the lone terrorist who was captured alive by Mumbai Police during the 26/11 terror attack by Pakistani terrorists in which at least 166 people were killed and several others were injured.

Shelar wondered whether Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray supported the statement made by the Congress leader.

A former special public prosecutor, Nikam had represented the state in high-profile cases like the Mumbai serial bomb blasts and the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

He is making his political foray from Mumbai North Central seat on a BJP ticket and is pitted against city Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad.