As the farmers protesting against the new agricultural laws entered Delhi ahead of the huge tractor rally, police barricades were knocked down near the outskirts of the national capital.
More than 5,000 protesters near the Singhu border, which divides Haryana and Delhi, broke police barricades, determined to march ahead. Some of them reached ITO and clashed with police. Lathicharge, use of tear gas, stone pelting by police force was reported. Farmers had also entered Red Fort in large numbers and hoisted flags.?
Delhi Police on Tuesday afternoon issued an alert across the city asking officers to increase security at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and residences of Prime Minister, home minister and lieutenant governor. Police said that large groups of farmers trying to gather outside such places could not be ignored and that they should be stopped so that there is no breakdown in the law and order situation.
Following the violence and chaos, internet services have been suspended in Noida Sector 34 and some parts of the National Capital Region (NCR).?A massive traffic jam was also witnessed at Delhi Noida Direct Flyway (DND) as the situation escalated amid farmers' tractor rally. The Delhi Traffic Police took to Twitter to inform about the situation.
The entry and exit gates of more than 10 metro stations in central and north Delhi were temporarily closed on Tuesday following clashes between police and protesting farmers at a number of places in Delhi.
This happened after more than 20 tractors had entered the iconic Red Fort this afternoon, hours after the farmers' parade began. Protesters were seen shouting slogans at the Red Fort as they drove tractors with national flags.
Thousands of farmers clashed with the police in the heart of Delhi on Republic Day as they took out a huge tractor rally against the government's new agricultural laws after knocking down barricades at the city's borders this morning.
At around 2 pm, protesters who drove tractors into the Red Fort tried to hoist flags. Remember,?the tableaux from the Republic Day celebrations were kept at Red Fort. Delhi Police officers said the farmers had violated the terms of agreement on which they were allowed to hold their rally today.?
?There was heavy security outside the Red Fort to stop farmers from entering the fort.?
Meanwhile, ITO in central Delhi resembled a war zone in the afternoon after police fired multiple rounds of tear gas shells while farmers clashed with them. The police cane-charged the protesting farmers in their attempt to stop them from going towards India Gate and Red Fort, the farmers in turn, pelted stones, broke barricades and damaged police vehicles. One farmer has been killed so far.
The standoff between police and farmers happened right in the middle of the ITO intersection. The farmers used their tractors to remove the railings from the dividers on Vikas Marg in ITO.?
Chaos erupted at the borders of the capital as protesters were lathi-charged and tear-gassed by policemen.?The disarray was caused after the protesters - allowed to hold the "Kisaan Parade" between 12 and 5 PM - allegedly began the march much before time and deviated from the agreed routes.?
?As the country celebrated its 72nd Republic Day, farmers had been given permission to take out their tractor rally in Delhi after the annual parade at Rajpath, a ceremonial road in the heart of the city. Crowds, however, swelled at the borders at around 8 AM even before the parade started. In central Delhi's ITO, a police bus was reportedly hijacked.?
Visuals showed farmers breaching barriers at the Singhu border, which divides Delhi and Haryana and has been the epicentre of protests against the farm laws that began late November. More than 5,000 protesters had gathered at various points outside the Delhi border.
In west Delhi near the Tikri border, farmers' leaders asked the protesters to maintain calm after the march began at around 9 AM. "Our rally will be peaceful and we will stick to the routes assigned," a leader told NDTV.
A dramatic video from Delhi's Akshardham showed policemen firing tear gas shells from an overbridge; protesters on road looked for cover. It also showed policemen beating farmers using lathis. At Mukarba chowk, protesters reportedly hurled stones at cops. In Nangloi area, Riot Control Police is on standby.
Contrasting images showed flower petals being showered on the protesters in some parts.
?To ensure the tractor parade remains peaceful, farmers formed groups to look after security.?Near police barricades, farmers formed groups as volunteers instructed them to maintain discipline for the mega rally.? ?
¡°For identification purposes, each volunteer will be wearing a yellow jacket and an identification card. Some of them will be riding motorcycles or driving cars along with emergency vehicles. These groups will carry walkie-talkies to coordinate with other volunteers,¡± said Dharmendra Malik, Bharatiya Kisan Union¡¯s (BKU) spokesperson.?
On Monday, five help desks were set up at the Ghazipur venue for registration of tractors and drivers for the parade.?The volunteers were checking driving licences and Aadhaar cards and recording details in a register before issuing them the green registration cards.?
¡°We are making a list of all tractors and drivers. We will only allow those tractors and drivers who will display the green registration card,¡± said Jitendra Singh alias Jitu, who is heading the volunteer groups.?The BKU spokesperson said three security teams of 15 volunteers each will be searching all tractor trolleys and tents and also frisking individuals with hand-held metal detectors.?
¡°The checking has been going on for the past three days. We will not allow anyone to carry weapons. Since thousands of tractors will be in the rally, we have also arranged mechanics and cranes to repair or remove tractors that break down,¡± said Malik, adding that women will also be participating in the rally.Farmers said a langar committee will distribute packed food among protesters during the parade.?
¡°There will be 3,000 volunteers in uniform at protest sites on Tuesday. While half of them will manage the traffic, others will keep an eye out to prevent any untoward incident,¡± said Jagmohan Singh, a member of BKU (Punjab).?
President of Krantikari Kisan Union Darshan Pal said farmers will also take out a ¡°padyatra (pedestrian march)¡± to the Parliament on February 1, the first day of the budget session. ¡°People who have come here from across the country to participate in the parade will stay back and take part in the padyatra,¡± he said, adding that the Republic Day ¡°tractor parade¡± may continue up to 48 hours.?
More than 3,000 volunteers will be on duty across the city. The protesters can take out the rally on the 63-km route near Singhu Border that divides Delhi and Haryana. The route that covers SGT Nagar, DTU Shahbad, Barwala, Auchandi Border ends at Kharkhoda Toll Plaza. Singhu Border has been the epicentre of the farmers' protest that began late November.?
Another 62.5 km-long route has been cleared from Tikri border in west Delhi that covers areas such as Najafgarh, Nangloi and ends at Asoda Toll Plaza. Near the Ghazipur border that divides Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, a 68-km long route has been cleared.
Earlier, the centre had opposed the tractor rally on Republic Day in an affidavit in the Supreme Court, stressing it will be "an embarrassment to the nation".?
Eleven rounds of talks have been held between the farmers and the government but there been no breakthrough. The farmers have turned down the centre's last offer to put the laws on hold for 18 months while a special committee conducts negotiations.?