Police use tear gas as farmers break barricades at Delhi borders to begin tractor rally

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jan 26, 2021:     Chaos unfolded at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur border points on Tuesday after groups of farmers, agitating against the contentious farm laws for over two months now, broke police barricades and forced their way into Delhi. The police used tear gas at Ghaziabad border and resorted to lathicharge at Singhu to disperse the farmers, who were expected to hold their tractor rally after the conclusion of the Republic Day parade at the Rajpath.

 

The farmers were seen marching on foot as well as on tractors even as security personnel tried to convince them to stick to the decided plan of the tractor parade. The Delhi Police allowed the proposed Republic Day tractor parade with 37 conditions, including capping the number of participants and allocating a fixed time slot.


"As per agreement, they were supposed to start their parade at the time specified but they forcefully entered Delhi and are currently peacefully sitting at Mukarba Chowk. They are supposed to head towards Bawana side as per the route but they are adamant that they want to go towards Outer Ring Road," PTI quoted a senior police official as saying.

Farmers were also seen riding motorcycles and horses while some people also perched atop their tractors and raised slogans and sang revolutionary songs. Locals were also seen distributing food and water bottles to the protesting farmers who were part of the march.

On Sunday, Delhi Police had allowed the tractor rally after the annual Republic Day parade. The protesters were told they can’t disrupt the celebrations at Rajpath even as the farmers insisted their parade will be "peaceful".

"But some groups of farmers did not relent and started moving towards the Outer Ring Road breaking police barricades," an official said.

A member of the Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 41 unions, leading the protest against the three central farm laws at several border points of Delhi, said those who broke the barricades belonged to the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee.

He said the Sankyukt Kisan Morcha’s tractor parade will start as scheduled after police give farmers way. The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee on Monday announced that they would hold their march on Delhi’s busy Outer Ring Road on Republic Day.

The protesting unions have also announced a foot march to Parliament on February 1, when the annual Budget is being presented, to press for their demands, including a repeal of the three new agriculture laws.

Heavy security has been deployed in view of the ’Kisan Gantantra Parade’ that will move into Delhi from the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur border points.

Patrolling has been intensified at power substations in Delhi following a threat from the banned Sikhs for Justice outfit to disrupt the city’s supply during the Republic Day celebrations.

An official said around 6,000 security personnel have been deployed to maintain vigil. Facial recognition systems have also been set up at vantage points for suspect identification, the official said.

The security personnel are keeping a hawk-eyed vigil over Rajpath, where President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be celebrating the occasion along with other dignitaries and thousands of people.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been campaing at several Delhi border points since November 28, demanding a complete repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price for their crops.

Courtesy:India Today