How Around 85 Cops Ended Up Being Injured As Farmers R-Day Rally Turned Violent: A Timeline

In an unprecedented turn of events, protesting farmers broke through police barricades on their tractors and hoisted their flag Nishan Sahib at Red Fort. Across Delhi, police resorted to lathicharge and teargassing as farmers tried to break away from the designated rally routes.

Here's a timeline of how events unfolded and it became ugly within a span of few hours.

7.00 am: Farmers gather separately at Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri borders ahead of the tractor rally to protest against the three farm laws passed last September. Many of the tractors have the Indian tricolour on them.

ANI

8.00 am: The farmers¡¯ tractor rally commences from Singhu border towards Kanjhawala Chowk-Auchandi border-KMP-GT road junction. The farmers at Tikri and Ghazipur border also start their rally.

Farmers' #RepublicDay tractor rally from Singhu border proceeds towards Kanjhawala Chowk-Auchandi border-KMP-GT road junction pic.twitter.com/MlbLV40iL8

¡ª ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2021

8.50 am: Farmers begin breaking the barricades at the Tikri border following clashes with the police. Despite this, the rally at Tikri continues.

9.40 am: The tractor rally from Singhu border reaches Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar in Delhi.

10.30 am: Residents of Delhi¡¯s Swaroop Nagar area shower flower petals on farmers from Ghazipur border.

Delhi: Locals in Swaroop Nagar shower flower petals on farmers as they carry out tractor parade on the occasion of #RepublicDay pic.twitter.com/liek1s4GP8

¡ª ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2021

11.00 am: Delhi Police use tear gas to disperse farmers at Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar after they refuse to stick to the designated route and try to march towards the Outer Ring Road.

11.30 am: Farmers move on from Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar and climb atop police vehicles at Mukarba Chowk in Delhi. At the same time, protesters at the Karnal bypass also break police barricades to enter Delhi.

ANI

12.15 pm: Farmers from the Ghazipur border reach Pragati Maidan and then move towards ITO.

12.30 pm: Protesting farmers vandalise a DTC bus and police vehicles, and break the barricades at ITO.

PTI

12.48 pm: Delhi Police use lathicharge at Chintamani Chowk in Shahdara near Ghazipur border but farmers riding tractors push through the barricades.

12.55 pm: Police use tear gas shells as well as lathi-charge crowds to disperse them from Delhi¡¯s ITO area.

Police use tear gas shells to disperse the protesting farmers at ITO in central Delhi. #FarmersLaws pic.twitter.com/FiF68Q0cVM

¡ª ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2021

1.15 pm: The DMRC shuts entry and exit gates of several stations in central and North Delhi.

1:30 pm: Protesting farmers reach Red Fort and wave flags from the ramparts of the fort. Some protesters also hoist their farmers¡¯ union flags as well as the Nishan Sahib at the Red Fort.

#WATCH Protestors enter Red Fort in Delhi, wave flags from the ramparts of the fort pic.twitter.com/4dgvG1iHZo

¡ª ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2021

3.30 pm: Internet services are suspended in some parts of Delhi-NCR in light of the farmers¡¯ protests and the prevailing law and order situation. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announces temporary suspensions of internet services in parts of Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri, Mukarba Chowk and Nangloi till midnight of 26 January.

3.40 pm: Police remove protesting farmers from Red Fort premises, resort to lathi-charging.

ANI

3.40 pm: Police use baton charging and fire tear gas shells to disperse farmers at Nangloi Chowk in West Delhi.

4:00 pm: One of the protesting farmers dies at ITO allegedly after his tractor is overturned. Farmers allege he was shot by Delhi Police and lost control of the vehicle.

5.15 pm: Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella farmers¡¯ union leading the protests, disassociates itself from violent protesters and claims ¡®anti-social elements¡¯ infiltrated the rally.

AP

6.10 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah holds review meeting and takes stock of law and order situation in Delhi-NCR.

6.30 pm: Delhi Police issues statement saying farmers violated fixed conditions set down for the rally, based on which they were earlier given permission to enter the city.

27th January

8.00 am: The violence resulted in 86 police personnel being injured, the Delhi Police said. Almost half of the policemen injured on Tuesday were at the Red Fort.

8.30 am: Delhi Police filed 22 cases in connection with the violence.