News Analysis India

Tag: Farmers Protest

  • Farmers’ union calls meeting to discuss violence during tractor parade in Delhi

    By PTI
    Samkyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of protesting unions, has called a meeting later on Wednesday to discuss the violence that broke out during the farmers’ tractor parade in the national capital.

    Before the Morcha meeting, representatives of 32 Punjab unions will also meet at the Singhu border, a major protest site against the three new farm laws.

    A senior farmer leader said, “The Samkyukta Kisan Morcha will meet around 3 pm on Wednesday and discuss all aspects pertaining to violence that happened during the tractor parade in Delhi”.

    ALSO READ | Delhi Police registers 22 FIRs in connection with violence during farmers’ tractor rally

    The Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 41 farmer unions, is leading the protest against the three central farm laws at several border points of Delhi.

    After violence broke out during the tractor parade on Tuesday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha had called off the parade and appealed to participants to immediately return to their respective protest sites.

    The tractor parade on Tuesday that was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal three new agri laws dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the city as tens of thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort The Delhi Police has registered 22 FIRs so far in connection with the violence in several area that has left over 300 policemen injured.

    The Kisan Morcha had disassociated itself from those who indulged in violence during the tractor parade, and alleged that some “antisocial elements” infiltrated their otherwise peaceful movement.

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

  • Mayawati terms violence in Delhi during farmers’ tractor parade ‘unfortunate’

    By PTI
    LUKCNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Wednesday termed “unfortunate” the incidents of violence during farmers’ tractor parade in Delhi.

    She reiterated her appeal to the Centre to withdraw the three new farm laws immediately and end the long-running agitation of the farmers so that no such untoward incident can happen again.

    Her remarks come after tens of thousands of farmers broke barriers to storm the national capital on Tuesday.

    Clashes broke out in multiple places, leading to violence in well-known landmarks of Delhi and its suburbs, amid waves of violence that ebbed and flowed through the day.

    “Whatever happened during the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day in Delhi yesterday, it should not have happened at all.

    This is very unfortunate and the central government must also take it very seriously,” Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “Also, the BSP once again appeals to the central government to withdraw the three agri laws immediately and end the agitation of the farmers so that no such untoward incident can happen again,” she tweeted.

  • Violence mars peaceful protest as mobs hijack tractor parade on Republic day

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Republic Day that is marked by pomp and show in front of stately government edifices and seats of power turned into a day of anarchy when thousands of farmers entered the heart of Delhi much ahead of the agreed time and after deviating from pre-determined routes. What was promised to be a peaceful tractor rally at agreed routes was anything but that as the protesters, who outnumbered the police in all the three routes, defied tear gassing and lathicharge.

    They breached barricades and clashed with the police at several locations. By the end of the day, one farmer had died, an unspecified number of them injured and 86 police personnel were hurt, some of the critically, the police said. The farmers riding tractors, SUVs and two-wheelers breached security cordons and barricades, entering Delhi before 12 noon, the agreed time for their rally.

    Protesters clash with police near Mukarba Chowk

    The first breach happened from the Singhu border in north Delhi, when farmers forced their way through. This was followed by protesters entering the city from Ghazipur in East Delhi.  Once in the city, the protesters clashed with the police first in ITO, central Delhi. They used their tractors to break the police barricades. Buses parked in the middle of the road to obstruct them were vandalised and it was here that Navneet Singh, a farmer driving a tractor died.

    While the police claimed he died as his tractor turned turtle, the farmers alleged that Navneet was killed in police firing. The protesters draped his body in Tricolor and sat in protest for several hours in the middle of the road. The scene then shifted to the historic Red Fort, where both sides fought pitched battles. Hundreds of farmers reached its rampart and hoisted their flag where the Prime Minister every Independence Day hoists the national flag and addresses the nation.

    “About 200 artists and kids who got stranded inside Red Fort were safely rescued. These artists came here for the Republic Day parade. The police first took them to a nearby hotel in Daryaganj to have food and then carefully rescued them to their destination,” said DCP North Anto Alphonse. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella organisation of all the 40 farm unions distanced itself from the violence and blamed anti-social elements.

    Later in the evening it said they had called off the kisan rally and asked all the farmers to return to the borders. Joginder Singh Ugrahan, the leader of the biggest farm union, accused actor-singer Deep Sidhu for the violence and the flag hoisting at Red Fort. Sidhu was part of the election campaign team of Sunny Deol, BJP member of Parliament from Gurdaspur in Punjab. A leader of the morcha said it was the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee that deviated from the agreed route. AIKS leader Hannan Mollah condemned the violence and said the farmers had been holding a peaceful agitation for the past several weeks.

    an overturned tractor at ITO in central Delhi that killed its driver | PTI , SHEKHAR YADAV

    The Republic Day shocker

    Delhi Police registers 4 first information reports The Delhi Police registered four FIRs in connection with the violence. “Three FIRs were registered in east district and one in Shahdara district on Tuesday,” a police official said

    Paramilitary deploymentA meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah decided to deploy additional paramilitary troops in the wake of the violence. Around 1,500 to 2,000 personnel could be deployed

    Flagrant violation of terms for kisan rally

    Tractor rally was permitted to start only after official R-Day parade, but a section of the protestors jumped the gun
    Tractors violated the agreement on not carrying more than five persons
    No weapons were to be carried, another stipulation that was completely ignored
    Routes were clearly defined, but mobs took detours, violently confronting the police
    Blow-by-blow account

    8:30 am: Farmers begin tractor march at all three borders — Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur — much before the agreed time of 12 noon; break barricades, try to push across cement dividers placed by Delhi Police10.50 am: Mob forcibly tries to enter Outer Ring Road, clashes with police; policemen resort to caning, firing tear gas shells 11.30 am: Farmers from Ghazipur enter Delhi via Akshardham flyover; mob breaks barricades, cement blocks, central median; faces police batons and tear gas 1.30-2.00 pm: Hundreds of people reach Kashmeri Gate; break barricades, enter Red Fort and hoist Khalsa flag and national flag at the pole where the PM hoists the Tricolour every Independence Day1.00-2.00 pm: Another group reaches ITO crossing; clashes break out between police and farmers; buses, police vehicles smashed by the mob; a farmer dies after his tractor turns turtle as it rams into a barricade3.00 pm-5.00 pm: Farmers staged a sit-in protest demanding justice, martyr status, apology from Delhi Police for the farmer’s death4 pm: Farmers removed from Red Fort4.30 pm: Home minister Amit Shah reviews situation with home secretary & Delhi Police 6.30 pm: Farmers disperse from ITO7.30 pm: Samyukta Kisan Morcha calls off march

  • Of tractors and detractors: BJP top brass silent on rally that turned unruly

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The government and the BJP were guarded on the turn of events during the tractor rally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda refrained from making public comments till late on Tuesday. 

    It was learnt that Shah was being briefed about the situation by senior officials. There were only a few voices from the BJP against the Red Fort incident, where a protestor raised a Nishad Sahib flag amid skirmishes with police personnel. The silence of senior leaders and top ministers was a departure from the past, when they aired their views on various issues on social media.

    Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Patel was among the few to speak out. “Red Fort is the symbol of our democracy. The protestors should have stayed away from Red Fort. I condemn the violation of the sanctity of Red Fort. This is sad and unfortunate,” he tweeted. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal were among other prominent names silent.

    Former BJP vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe blamed the Congress, saying that they irresponsibly supported the farmers. “Populism is a phenomenon exploited to the hilt by the Congress and its allies at the cost of the nation,” tweeted Sahasrabuddhe.BJP’s former general-secretary P Muralidhar Rao also took to Twitter to criticise the Red Fort incident.

    “In Indian democracy you can have a mobilisation challenging the government on policies… but you can’t have a situation where it’s challenging the sovereignty of the country.” RSS general-secretary Suresh Joshi condemned the incidents, saying it’s an insult to martyrs who sacrificed their lives for independence and sovereignty of the country. 

  • Tractor parade: Deceased farmer was in Australia, returned 2 yrs ago

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: The farmer who died after his speeding tractor overturned near the ITO junction in central Delhi during a tractor  rally on Tuesday has been identified as Navreet Singh, a resident of Dibdiba village in Rampur district of western Uttar Pradesh. 

    Singh had gone to Delhi with a tractor to participate in the proposed tractor parade by the farmers against the Centre’s new farm laws. Sources said Singh, 45, had returned to India from Australia two years ago. The family is involved in farming.

    Despite repeated attempts to contact, his family remained incommunicado. “His body is being brought to Rampur by the district police team. The autopsy of the body will be done in Rampur,” said Rampur Additional Superintendent of Police Sansaar Singh.

    He added that police force was deployed in Dibdiba village in adequate numbers so that no anti-social elements could disrupt the peace in the area. He claimed that the police authorities were also in touch with the family. 

  • Tractor parade violence: Amit Shah orders police to go hard on violators 

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Union Home Minister Amit Shah issued directions to the Delhi Police to take strict action against those who indulged in violence on Tuesday during the farmers’ tractor rally.  In a two-hour meeting with senior officials from the home ministry, Intelligence Bureau and Delhi Police, Shah reviewed in detail the security situation in the national capital after violence broke out at farmers’ rally in several areas

    At the meeting in his residence, Shah also ordered additional paramilitary forces were deployed in Delhi. Around 15 additional companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed at the sites of violence such as ITO, Nangloi and Ghazipur, sources said. The 15 companies of Central Armed Police Forces include five companies of CRPF already deployed on Monday.

    Shah also asserted that law and order is restored as soon as possible, sources said, adding that he sought a detailed account of how things went out of control on Tuesday. Wielding sticks, clubs and holding the Tricolour and union flags, tens of thousands of farmers atop tractors broke barriers, clashed with police and entered the city from various points marching towards the Red Fort and hoisting the Nishan Sahib flag there on Republic Day.

    Prior to this spate of violence, hundreds of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and UP, have been camping peacefully at several Delhi border points, including Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, since November 28. They are seeking a complete repeal of the three central agriculture laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price for their crops.

    Officials said the home minister is keeping a close eye on the developments and is monitoring the situation. Among those who attended the meeting were Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava and the Intelligence Bureau director.

    Punjab, haryana on high alertHaryana and Punjab have sounded a high alert in the states and said anyone taking law into one’s hands will be dealt with strictly. Haryana DGP Manoj Yadava asked district police chiefs to be vigilant. Punjab CM Amarinder Singh asked DGP Dinkar Gupta to ensure that law and order is not deteriorated at any cost.

    kids stranded for 2 hrs at fortAround 200 artistes, including children, who were part of the R-Day parade, were rescued after they got stranded near Red Fort on Tuesday. They were rescued by police personnel after being stuck for almost two hours in the afternoon, provided refreshments and subsequently escorted away. 

  • Tractor parade: Samyukta Kisan Morcha blames others for parading trouble

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: As chaotic scenes unfolded in Delhi amid criticism of violence by a section of the farmers, leaders of the protestors alleged that anti-social elements infiltrated their peaceful agitation. Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), umbrella body of 40 farmer unions, blamed the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) for breaking rules and marching down unscheduled routes.

    KMSC is not part of the platform of the 32 Punjab farmers unions, but it has been participating in farmers’ meetings.“They (KMSC) did not listen to SKM leaders, who pleaded with them not to force their way into Delhi. Also, Delhi Police and other elements misguided the farmers,’’ said a senior farmer leader.

    A farmer smashes the windshield of a bus deployed on police duty at ITONew Delhi on Tuesday after the tractor rally turned violent

    KMSC was formed in 2007 after Satnam Singh Pannu, its present head, fell out with Kanwalpreet Singh, the then head of the parent group Kisan Sangharsh Committee. KMSC has presence in around seven districts in Punjab. Pannu had in the past been an activist of CPI (M). He said they marched on Ring Road and came back to Singhu, adding that they did not go to Red Fort.

    Holding certain groups with vested interests responsible for the trouble, the Morcha maintained that things were peaceful from their end. “We thank farmers for the unprecedented participation in today’s parade. We also condemn and regret the undesirable and unacceptable events that have taken place today and dissociate ourselves from those indulging in such acts. Despite our efforts, some organisations and individuals have violated the route and indulged in condemnable acts,” said a statement.

    Leaders of SKM added that they will try to get a clearer picture of what happened and release a statement after that. However, they insisted that by and large, events of the day were peaceful. Hannan Mollah, general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha, blamed outsiders. “There were a few anti-social elements who caused violence and clashed with police in some areas, to defame our peaceful  protest,” he said.

    BKU, Punjab (Rajewal Group), chief Balbir Singh Rajewal distanced himself from those who caused trouble. He said the 32 unions from Punjab were following the routes and rules. 

  • Haryana Cabinet holds special meeting, appeals to protesting farmers to return home

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Cabinet held a special meeting here on Tuesday evening under the chairmanship of Chief Minister M L Khattar in the wake of the events that unfolded in the national capital during the tractor parade and appealed to all protesting farmers to return to their homes.

    Khattar said farmer unions had assured a peaceful tractor rally in the national capital.

    “But the events which unfolded today make it clear that this agitation is now not under the control of these farmer leaders. And the command of this agitation is now in the hands of such anarchic elements whose ideology is different from the farmers’ interests,” he said.

    ​CLICK HERE FOR LIVE UPDATES

    The chief minister issued a statement asking the farmer community to ponder over where their agitation was headed.

    “The entire Haryana cabinet, through its special meeting held today, humbly appeals to all farmers of this agitation to return to their homes. The strong need of the hour this time is that together we defeat the designs of the anti-social elements,” Khattar said.

    Earlier, he described as “most unfortunate” the incident of a protesting farmer hoisting a religious flag at the Red Fort.

    Such an incident at Red Fort on Republic Day is strongly condemnable, Khattar had said.

    ALSO WATCH:

    “In a democratic setup, there is adequate space to resolve issues through dialogue,” he said, referring to the farmers who have been sitting in protest for two months near Delhi’s borders against the Centre’s new farm laws.

    But no Indian will tolerate anyone hoisting any flag other than the tricolour from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Khattar said.

    This is an insult to those freedom fighters and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of this nation, he added.

    The freedom fighters did not fight for the country’s independence to see the spread of this type of anarchy, Khattar said.

  • Samyukt Kisan Morcha calls off tractor parade, appeals participants to return to protest sites

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha called off the tractor parade by farmers on Tuesday and appealed to participants to immediately return to their respective protest sites.

    The tractor parade, which began much ahead of the scheduled time, turned violent with farmers opposing the Centre’s new agri laws and police clashing at several areas of the national capital.

    Farmers continued to camp at several places in the national capital till late evening and there was no pre-decided time for concluding the parade.

    “We have called off the farmers’ Republic Day parade with immediate effect and appealed to all participants to immediately return back to their respective protest sites.

    CLICK HERE FOR LIVE UPDATES

    The movement will continue peacefully and further steps will be discussed and decided soon,” the farmers’ union body said in a statement.

    The Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 41 farmer unions, is leading the protest against the three central farm laws at several border points of Delhi.

    Earlier today, the Kisan Morcha disassociated itself from those who indulged in violence during the tractor parade, and alleged that some “antisocial elements” infiltrated their otherwise peaceful movement.

    The union also condemned and regretted the “undesirable” and “unacceptable” events as the parade turned violent after several groups of farmers deviated from the pre-decided route for the march.

    Wielding sticks and clubs and holding the tricolour and union flags, tens of thousands of farmers atop tractors broke barriers, clashed with police and entered the city from various points to lay siege to the Red Fort and climb the flagpole on Republic Day on Tuesday.

    ALSO WATCH:

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

  • ‘Extremists in garb of food providers’: BJP’s Sambit Patra on violence during farmers’ protest

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: As a tractor parade by farmers protesting against three contentious farm laws turned violent, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said those who were seen as ‘annadata’ (food providers) for so many days have turned out to be extremists.

    On Twitter, Patra also shared a video in which a protestor is purportedly seen throwing away a national flag handed to him from the crowd as he climbs a pole to hoist a different flag.

    “Painful,” the BJP leader said about the video.

    CLICK HERE FOR FARMERS’ TRACTOR RALLY LIVE UPDATES

    “Those we had been calling annadata (food providers) for so many days have turned out to be extremists. Don’t defame annadata, call an extremist an extremist only,” Patra tweeted as a section of protesting farmers broke the agreement with Delhi Police and indulged in hooliganism.

    Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan also said that the manner in which a crime was committed under the garb of agitation by some unruly elements, it was not acceptable at any cost.

    “LJP condemns this type of behaviour,” he tweeted.

    A tractor march meant to highlight farmers’ demands dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the national capital on Tuesday, as hordes of rampaging protesters broke through barriers, fought with police, overturned vehicles and delivered a national insult — hoisting a religious flag from the rampart of Red Fort, a privilege reserved for India’s tricolour.

    ALSO WATCH: