Protesters agitating against the new farm laws entered the premises of Red Fort in the Indian national capital city and waved flags.
A protestor also went up the mast on the ramparts of the historic 17th-century monument and raised a flag he was carrying. The protestors came to central Delhi deviating from the route which had been decided for the tractor march. Violence erupted near the ITO area of the Indian national capital as tractors driven by protestors tried to scare and even run over police personnel deployed in the area.
Protesting farmers reached ITO after breaking police barricades placed opposite old Delhi Police headquarters and were seen attacking police personnel and vandalising vehicles.
Several people including police personnel suffered injuries during the clash between protesting farmers and police.
Groups of farmers were also seen vandalizing public property and targeting police personnel deployed for Republic Day security.
Media reports of farmers breaking barricades to enter Delhi and indulging in vandalism poured from several parts of the city. Delhi Police officials sat on the road in Nangloi to block the area where farmers holding tractor parade have reached. In view of protestors entering parts of Delhi, the gates of several metro stations were closed.
Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said there are people from political parties who are trying to malign the agitation against new farm laws and called upon farmers to maintain discipline.
His remarks came in the wake of reports of violence after farmers did not follow the marked route for their tractor march on Republic Day and forcibly entered central Delhi by removing police barricades.
“We know the people who are trying to create a disturbance, they have been identified. There are people from political parties who are trying to malign the agitation,” Tikait told.
Two Delhi Police officials including a Deputy Commissioner (DCP) were injured at Delhi’s Ghazipur border while trying to stop agitating farmers from breaking the barricades.
Additional DCP (East) Manjeet and a probationer IPS officer got injured while they were trying to stop farmers from breaking the barricades. The DCP had a close shave as one of the farmers tried to to hit him with his tractor.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will deploy additional paramilitary forces in the national capital amid a tense security situation following clashes between protesting farmers and Delhi Police.
A meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during which the decision was made. The meeting was attended by top officials like Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava, and the director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
“15 companies of paramilitary forces were sent to Delhi. Ten were from CRPF and the rest five were from other paramilitary forces. Similarly, five companies were on standby today,” a senior government official told.
After clashes, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) said it was calling off the Kisan Republic Day ‘tractor rally’ “with immediate effect” but said that peaceful protests will continue.
“We have appealed to all participants to immediately return back to their respective protest sites. The movement will be continued peacefully and further steps will be discussed and decided soon,” the SKM said in an official statement. SKM said it condemns and regrets the violence that took place in the national capital during the farmers’ protest today.
“Anti-social elements had infiltrated the otherwise peaceful movement. We have always held that peace is our biggest strength and that any violation would hurt the movement,” it said.
83 police personnel were injured on Tuesday after intense clashes with farmers. Delhi Police had released the names of the cops who had sustained injuries in the evening.
Haryana ogovernment suspended all telecom services in districts bordering Delhi till 5 pm on January 27.
The government said the decision was taken on the basis of intelligence reports on the likelihood of violence and disturbance of public peace in the national capital region districts of Haryana.
Additional chief secretary, Home, Rajeev Arora, issued the order on Tuesday evening to stall all the telecom services, including mobile internet services, SMS, and dongle services provided on mobile networks in the districts bordering Delhi
Internet and SMS services will remain blocked in Sonipat, Palwal, and Jhajjar districts with immediate effect till 5 pm on Wednesday.
The centre also ordered a suspension of internet services at the national capital’s border points – Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri, Mukarba Chowk, Nangloi and areas adjoining these protest hubs due to the tense security situation in the city.
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.