The Delhi Police is making tight security arrangements for the farmers' tractor parade on Republic Day due to inputs about possible attempts to disrupt the rally.
Deependra Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence), claimed that over 300 Twitter handles have been generated from Pakistan to disrupt the tractor parade on January 26.
In a circular, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava directed that all officers and personnel, as well as Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and others, posted for the Republic Day Parade security arrangements, should be prepared for an extended deployment to maintain law and order in the wake of the tractor parade.
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The Delhi Police gave permission to protesting farmer unions to hold their tractor parades in the national capital on Republic Day, farmer leaders claimed on January 23.
Here are 10 key things about the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day:
> The farmers' proposed tractor rally will start after the time period of the Republic Day celebration has ended, the police has said.
> The tractor parade by agitating farmers will feature a number of tableaux from across states depicting village life, the protest against the Centre's contentious farm laws, and hailing their courage, according to organisers.
> Farmer leaders have appealed to those participating in the tractor march to carry enough ration for 24 hours and ensure that the rally remains peaceful. According to a farmer leader, around 3,000 volunteers have been deployed to ensure that the parade remains peaceful and no untoward incident takes place.
> No one should carry any weapon or drink alcohol. Banners carrying inciting messages are not allowed, reported news agency PTI citing a farmer leader.
> Three routes, originating from Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur border points, have been finalized for the march, said a farmer leader. Those starting from the Singhu border will traverse Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Bawana, Qutabgarh, Auchandi border, and Kharkhoda toll plaza. The entire route will be 63 kilometers long. The 62-km long second route, starting from the Tikri border, will pass through Nagloi, Najafgarh, Jharoda border, and Rohtak bypass, and Asoda toll plaza, the farmer leaders said. Tractors starting from Ghazipur will drive through the Apsara border, Hapur road, and Lal Kuan. Covering 68 kilometers, it is the longest route for the march.
> The farmer leaders will be on the frontline in their cars. All vehicles will have to return to the originating place. No one will try and stop midway without a valid reason, the farmer leaders said.
> Each tractor will carry a tricolor and there will be folk music and patriotic songs. Only five people per tractor will be allowed and strict vigil is being maintained to thwart any criminal activity, according to the farmer leaders.
> A war room has been set up at each protest site to ensure effective coordination during the tractor parade. There will be 40 members, including doctors, security personnel, and social media managers, in each of these rooms, said a member of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a joint front of the protesting farmer unions. Around 40 ambulances will be stationed along the route to attend to any medical emergency.
> A group of 500 tractors-trolleys left Amritsar and several other batches from Phagwara, Hoshiarpur, and other places of Punjab have moved towards Delhi to take part in the tractor parade, farmer leaders said on January 24. Several 'khaps' of Haryana are set to join the rally with thousands of these vehicles leaving various caste councils' villages for the national capital on January 24. About 1,500 tractors from villages under the Kandela khap set out on the day for the 'tractor parade' in Delhi, Khap head Tekram Kandela said.
> Authorities in Haryana have issued advisories against unnecessary travel towards Delhi over the next couple of days. The Haryana Police said there would be disruptions in vehicular movement on the national highway from Karnal and Rohtak towards Delhi during January 25-27.
Since November 2020, farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting against the Centre's three new agriculture laws at several Delhi border points, including Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur, demanding that the legislation be repealed.
Enacted in September 2020, the three laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed their apprehension that these laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of minimum support price and do away with the 'mandi' (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
(With inputs from PTI)