Days after six farmer leaders in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal were asked to submit personal bonds of Rs 50 lakh each for allegedly trying to “instigate” local farmers to join the protest against the Centre’s new agri laws, police said the amount was “a clerical error” and will be reduced.

On Thursday, The Indian Express reported that notices were issued by the district administration in Sambhal to six farmer leaders, including Bharatiya Kisan Union (Asli) Sambhal district president Rajpal Singh and other farmer leaders identified as Jaiveer and Satendra alias Gangafal.

The leaders also ordered to submit sureties of the same amount from two guarantors.

On Friday, Kumar Singh, Circle Officer, Sambhal told the newspaper, “The SDM is currently on leave and once he comes back we will look to issue a bond of Rs 50,000 since the earlier one was a clerical error.”

Sambhal SP Chakresh Mishra said that fresh notices will be issued following the error.

For over two weeks now, thousands of farmers, largely from Punjab and Haryana, have been staying put at Delhi border points -- Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Chilla (Delhi-Noida), protesting against the new farm laws at these Delhi borders after repeated rounds of talks with the government have ended in stalemate.

Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar had issued an 8-page open letter to farmers on Thursday saying the Centre is ready to listen to all their concerns. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the crop growers of Madhya Pradesh onFriday through video conferencing as the stir enters day 23.

Tomar through his letter to farmers said that the Modi government is committed to the welfare of farmers and stressed that the new agri laws are aimed at benefiting small and marginal farmers.