UP police arrested scores of farmers on Thursday for blocking traffic on the Greater Noida-Agra Yamuna Expressway.

Several hundred farmers gathered under the banner of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), and staged a sit-in at the newly-inaugurated Yamuna Expressway, blocked traffic, demanding a toll tax exemption for the villagers residing along the 165km road.

The protestors claimed that the government and developers Jaypee Infratech has assured them during the acquisition of land that no toll would be levied on villagers living along the expressway.

Police arrested many protestors and whisked others away after they refused to budge. Police said that they had to arrest the protestors since traffic jam was to be cleared. But, the arrested protestors were released soon.

When contacted, Superintendent of Police (rural) Ashok Kumar said, "They were detained and sent to the police lines. We later let them off. Traffic moved smoothly thereafter."

The BKU leaders said they were determined to get toll tax waiver for the villagers, and warned that they would come back with a bigger agitation in the coming days. Farmers from areas like Agra, Tappal and Mathura have threatened to join the protest at a later stage.