Heavy police deployed at Karnal toll Plaza where a langar is being organised for farmers. (Express photo by Sukhbir Siwach)Farmers’ Protest Live Updates: The Delhi Police Wednesday detained around 200 protesters on charges of rioting, damaging public property and attacking police personnel during the Republic Day violence on Tuesday. The police have also filed 22 FIRs so far that mention the names of at least 10 farm leaders, including Yogendra Yadav and Rakesh Tikait.
The police said more than 300 police personnel were injured, most of them during clashes at ITO and Red Fort. A senior police officer said they will summon the farm leaders in the coming days for questioning. A petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court seeking setting up of a commission, headed by a retired apex court judge, to inquire the violence and take penal action against the individuals or organisations responsible.
Security has been tightened in several places across the national capital especially at the Red Fort and farmer protest sites, with the deployment of additional paramilitary forces following the violence.
After two months of peaceful protests on Delhi’s borders and 11 rounds of negotiations with the central government, the Republic Day tractor parade spiralled into chaos Tuesday. One protester died when his tractor overturned while ramming a road barrier at ITO, and scores were injured, as mobs resorted to violence and vandalism while forcing their way to the Red Fort and hoisting their flag there. As the night fell, the Red Fort was secured, the flags removed and protesters made to vacate the premises.
(Reported by Aranya Shankar, Sofi Ahsan, Sourav Roy Barman, Ashna Butani, Sukrita Baruah, and Sakshi Dayal from Delhi. Raakhi Jagga, Kamaldeep Singh Brar, and Sukhbir Siwach reported from Punjab and Haryana)
Tractors at Ghazipur border for the farmers' Republic Day march, in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
Speaking on the Republic Day clashes, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said, "At the Ghazipur border, the police barricaded the route which was the planned route for the tractor rally. Then police used tear gas which precipitated the violence that ensued.
"The farmers have handed over 15 people who started the violence yesterday. They have been found to have govt identity cards. Now you only understand who is in the govt. This was an act of concerted conspiracy to malign a peaceful movement," he added.
"We came for MSP, not hooliganism. Action must be taken against those who took different route. It was shameful. We'll have to see how to go ahead with those who want to break agitation. Press conference at 4 pm": Sardar VM Singh, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, tell ANI.
Delhi Police has registered FIRs in connection with the violence during Tuesday’s tractor rally that mention the names of at least 10 farm leaders, including Yogendra Yadav and Rakesh Tikait. Senior officers said police have registered 22 FIRs across 10 districts under IPC sections of rioting, criminal conspiracy, robbery, attempt to murder and others.
A senior police officer said they will summon the farm leaders in the coming days for questioning. “We have already detained around 200 protesters on charges of rioting, damaging public property and attacking police personnel,” an officer said.
Police said more than 300 police personnel were injured, most of them during clashes at ITO and Red Fort. “We are making arrests after conducting proper verification. We are also looking into CCTVs near Red Fort, ITO, Nangloi and other areas where the violence erupted,” the police said.
Anil Mittal, Additional PRO (Delhi Police), said, “We have registered 22 FIRs in connection with Tuesday’s violence where hundreds of policemen were injured.”
(Reported by Mahender Singh Manral)
Statement issued by Samyukt Kisan Morcha
Most of the farmer organizations who are part of the ongoing farmers' agitation today held an emergency meeting under the chairmanship of Shri Balbir Singh Rajewal. Sincere appreciation was conveyed to the struggling farmers for extending an unprecedented response to the Kisan Republic Day Parade.
The concerned organisations discussed the violent incidents in New Delhi and concluded that Union Govt. has been severely shaken by this peasant agitation. Therefore, a dirty conspiracy was hatched with Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and others against the peaceful struggle of other farmer organizations, who had set up their own separate protest site after 15 days of beginning of this Farmers' agitation. They were not part of the organisations which jointly undertook the struggle.
When the farmer organizations declared a programme of Kisan Parade on 26 January, anti-social elements like Deep Sidhu and others, along with the said farmer organization attempted to torpedo the farmers’ agitation.
Under this conspiracy, the said Kisan organisation and other persons announced that they would march on Ring Road and unfurl a flag on the Red Fort. As a corollary of conspiracy, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee started marching on the Ring Road, two hours before the scheduled march of the struggling organisations. It was a deep rooted conspiracy to knock down the peaceful and strong farmers' struggle.
All the constituents of Samyukt Kisan Morcha strongly condemned this incident.
The struggling organisations appealed to the farmers to stay on the protest venues and continue a peaceful struggle. The farmers' organisations resolved to continue this agitation and harshly condemned the government and its administration, the said farmers' organisation and anti-social elements, who tried to damage the peaceful farmers struggle.
The organisations resolved not to allow the government and other forces inimical to the peaceful movement to break this struggle. Yesterday's events exposed and isolated the anti-farmer forces clearly.
An emergency meeting of 32 organizations is called on 27 January to chalk out the future programme. All the farmers leaders were present in the meeting along with Shri Balbir Singh Rajewal and Shri Jagjeet Singh Dallewal.
Shards of glass, broken turnstiles, smashed security cameras, and ransacked administrative offices. The scale of the damage caused in Tuesday’s mob violence and vandalism after hundreds of protesters stormed the Red Fort is yet to be fully assessed. But most of the damage was seen, as of yet, outside the Red Fort at ticket counters, security posts and baggage scanners. The protesters also vandalised a CISF gypsy.
Visuals from Tuesday’s violence showed police personnel, who were outnumbered, scrambling for cover as the protesters had a free run of the monument. There was vandalism near the ticket counters as protesters ran amok, smashing the panes. Two policemen were rushed out, bleeding from the head.
One of the injured cops Inspector PC Yadav is in hospital. He was on duty at Red Fort on January 26.
Delhi Metro authorities shut Lal Quila station and restrict entry to Jama Masjid station amid heavy security deployment at Red Fort, a day after violence breaks out during farmers' tractor parade in the national capital
With a large group breaking off early on to head towards central Delhi, and subsequent attempts by protesters to break from the route and head towards Delhi, the rally from Ghazipur was a splintered affair from start to finish.
Volunteers and coordinators were stationed to the left of Ghazipur flyover, the designated point for the rally to begin. As individuals and small groups of farmers tried to push through or slide past barricades before the official starting time, these volunteers caught hold of them and pulled them back. “I have been on duty at this point since 6 am and people have been trying to get through since then. If we become lax even for a bit, everyone will break through. We have been asked to keep them back till Rakesh Tikait ji tells us to open up,” said Rajen Chaudhury, a 22-year-old farmer from Shamli district at 9.45 am. Read more
Around 200 protesters have been detained by Delhi Police on charges of rioting, damaging public property and attacking police personnel, a day after in the capital. Police have so far registered 22 FIRs in the matter.
Police said more than 300 police personnel were injured, most of them during clashes at ITO and Red Fort. “We are making arrests after conducting proper verification. We are also looking into CCTVs near Red Fort, ITO, Nangloi and other areas where the violence erupted,” the police said.
On Wednesday, security was beefed up in several parts of the city, with paramilitary forces stationed in several places like Red Fort, central Delhi and the three farm protest sites.
A day after the farmers’ protest turned violent in the national capital, former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav Wednesday appealed to the central government to withdraw the three contentious farm laws.
“Desh ki rajdhani delhi mein kal Gantantra divas ke din kisanon ki hui tractor rally ke dauran jo kuch bhi hua, wah katai bhi nahi hona chahiye tha..Yeh ati-durbhagyapurna tatha Kendra ki sarkar ko bhi ese ati ganbhirta se jaroor lena chahiye... (Whatever happened in the national capital during the tractor rally on Republic Day should not have happened. It is most unfortunate, and the central government should take this very seriously),” Mayawati said in a statement.
Yadav, on the other hand, came out more strongly against the government and blamed the agitation for its neglect of farmers.
“BJP sarkar ne jis prakar kisanon ko nirantaar upekshit, apmanit wah aropit kiya hai, usase kisano ke rosh ko akrosh mein badalne mein nirnayak bhumika nibhayi hai. Jo halat bane hain, unke liye Bhajapa Sarkar kasoorwar hai (The way the BJP government constantly neglected farmers, disrespected them and blamed them, played a role in the agitation. Whatever situation has emerged, the government is responsible for it).” the Samajwadi Party chief said.
In Punjab, there is no let down in gatherings to protest against the farm laws. January 26 episode at the Red Fort was a conspiracy, they say.
A day after farmers protesting against the three farm bills tried to break through police barricades in Palwal, even as similar incidents were reported across the National Capital Region(NCR), an FIR has been lodged against more than 2000 people regarding the incident.
According to police, the FIR has been lodged under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 307 (attempt to murder), and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code as well as Section 8 of the National Highways Act. The case has been registered on the basis of the complaint provided by a head constable at the Gadpuri police station.
Delhi Police has registered an FIR mentioning the names of nine farm leaders, including Yogendra Yadav.
The Delhi Police Wednesday detained around 200 protesters on charges of rioting, damaging public property and attacking police personnel during the Republic Day violence on Tuesday. The Police said they are making arrests after conducting proper verification and that 22 FIRs have been registered so far. As many as 230 cops have sustained injuries and an official said multiple videos and CCTV footage are being scanned to identify farmers involved and that strict action will be taken against the culprits.
Reacting to the unfurling of the Khalsa flag at the Red Fort, Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee says, 'What has protesters done after reaching Red Fort? Nobody disrespected the National Flag. They installed Nishan Sahib there. It is same Nishan Sahib which was hailed by Rajnath Singh during his visit to the China border.'
KMSC general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, 'Someone instigated protesters to move towards Red Fort. It was not our call. IT cell is working. Don't believe in rumors. Because everything is peaceful here. Now looking forward to @Kisanektamorcha call to move towards Parliament.'
Heavy police deployed at the red Fort, a day after protesters stormed in during the farmers' tractor parade.
A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a judicial inquiry into the Republic Day violence.
New Delhi witnessed violent scenes as farmers participating in a tractor rally clashed with the police, broke barricades and stormed the Red Fort, and the police responded with tear gases and lathi charge.
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 farm laws.
The SKM had proposed the tractor rally on Republic Day. It had held several rounds of meetings with the Delhi Police in connection with their tractor parade. They had given an undertaking to the police to take out a peaceful rally as per the proposed plans on four agreed upon routes. However, on Tuesday around 8.30 am, 6,000 to 7,000 tractors assembled at the Singhu border, police said.
An official said multiple videos and CCTV footage are being scanned to identify farmers involved in the violence on Tuesday and that strict action will be taken against the culprits. Security has been beefed up in several places across the national capital especially at the Red Fort and farmer protest sites, with deployment of additional paramilitary forces following the violence. (PTI)