NEW DEHLI – One protester died and more than 80 policemen were wounded in violent clashes as farmers broke through police barricades to storm Delhi’s historic Red Fort complex.
The rally against agriculture reforms in India turned violent on Tuesday, BBC reports. “On foot and in tractors, the protesters were part of a huge rally planned for India’s Republic Day.†Many protesters diverted from agreed routes and clashes broke out with police.
Internet services were snapped in various parts of Delhi on Tuesday in a bid to avoid spread of rumours in the wake of violent clashes between protesting farmers and the Delhi Police during the day.
Several cops, media-persons and farmers were injured in the clashes. Situation continues to be tense but remains under control. The Central government had permitted 5,000 tractors and 5,000 farmers to enter Delhi. But when the farmers refused to follow the pre-decided routes, violent clashes erupted between the police and the farmers.
Live TV news channels showed agitated farmers trying to break police barricades and damage government vehicles with the help of their tractors. One person died in central Delhi after one of the tractors toppled over him, said media reports.
The umbrella body of farmers’ unions/associations — the “Sanyukt Kisan Morcha†(Joint Farmers Front) condemned the violence on Delhi’s streets, saying it was a “deed of some anti-social elementsâ€.
Thousands of farmers had been protesting at different inter-state borders for over two months, demanding that the federal government withdraw the three new farm laws.
Meanwhile in a related development, a meeting of high-ranking officials belonging to the federal home ministry was called to assess the evolving situation.
Police had sealed most entrances to the city with containers and trucks and resorted to tear gas and batons as the farmers broke through. Some protesters reached a major intersection only 3km (1.8 miles) from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other government leaders watched tanks and troops parade past and fighter jets fly overhead, Al Jazeera reported.
Modi waved to crowds and sent out Twitter greetings for the national holiday without mentioning the farmers. He was driven back to his residence before any personal confrontation with the farmers, the biggest challenge his Hindu nationalist government has faced in its six years in power.
Tens of thousands of farmers have camped on the outskirts of the capital since November, protesting against new laws which deregulate produce markets. Union leaders say the laws will allow private Indian conglomerates to take over the agriculture sector – the bedrock of the economy – displacing the existent system of purchases by the government at guaranteed prices.
National Convener of Congress Saral Patel on his Twitter account said it had been exposed that who was behind violence to disrupt the peaceful protest of farmers.        Indian lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan in a tweet said, “So, is the BJP trying to fish in the farmers waters to defame the movement?â€
India’s columnist and author Tavleen Shah on her Twitter account questioned the scenario of chaos in New Delhi with a hint that ‘how the intelligence agencies did not know that the farmers protest was likely to turn violent?’
India’s Republic Day was marked as Black Day all over the world as a protest against the heinous policies of Bhartia Janta Party government.
