Farm laws: Internet services suspended at protest sites; police baton-charge protestors at Red Fort

4.30 pm: The Delhi Police resort to baton charge and fire tear gas shells at farmers at Nangloi Chowk in West Delhi, PTI reports. The protesting farmers reportedly broke cement barricades at Nangloi Chowk and Mukarba Chowk, after which the police fired tear gas shells at them.

4.08 pm: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) criticises the Centre for using tear gas and batons on farmers, reports PTI. “Tear gassing and lathi-charging Kisans is unacceptable,” party’s General Secretary Sitaram Yechury says. “Why, after the Delhi Police and Samyukt Kisan Morcha agreement? Why is the government provoking a confrontation. They must allow the peaceful, agreed tractor parade to continue.”

4.07 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh appeals to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept the farmers’ demands and repeal the new laws, reports PTI. “The farm laws are completely wrong as they are against federalism since agriculture is a state subject under Schedule 7 of the Constitution,” he adds.

3.58 pm: The Delhi Police say that two of its officers have been injured in today’s clashes near the Ghazipur border, reports ANI.

3.55 pm: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha distances itself from the “undesirable and unacceptable events that have taken place today”, reports ANI. “Despite all our efforts, some organisations and individuals violated route and indulged in condemnable acts,” the group says. “Anti-social elements had infiltrated the otherwise peaceful movement. We’ve always held that peace is our biggest strength and any violation would hurt the movement.”

3.54 pm: The entry and exit gates to the Jama Masjid metro station have been closed.

3.53 pm: Visuals from Old Delhi where the situation has escalated after some protestors entered the Red Fort’s complex and hoisted flags.

1.48 pm: Police baton-charge protestors outside the Red Fort after tens of thousands of farmers drove long lines of tractors into Capital on Tuesday, and entered the fort’s complex, reports NDTV.

3.34 pm: Over 1.5 km road leading to ITO from Indraprastha Metro Station is choked with tractors, reports The Hindu.

3.28 pm: The Ministry of Home Affairs temporarily suspends internet at Singhu border, Ghazipur border, Tikri border, Mukarba Chowk and Nangloi from noon to 23:59 hours today, reports CNBC-TV18

3.25 pm: The grey line of the Delhi Metro has been closed.

3.14 pm: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi oversaw the traditional Republic Day parade by the armed forces today, chaos was breaking out in several parts of the city just a few kilometers away. Waving multi coloured flags and holding placards, the protesting farmers marched on tractors, cars, motorbikes, horses and on foot from the outskirts of the city, where they had been camping for two months.

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In photos: As farmers begin tractor rally, India sees two parades on Republic day

3.12 pm: Here are the roads commuters in Delhi should avoid taking today:

3.11 pm: As per Delhi Police’s latest advisory, traffic movement is closed from:

1. Kapashera Chowk to Bijwasan Road. Diversion is given from Kapashera Border and Samalkha T Point
2. Dwarka More to Uttam Nagar East Metro Station. Diversion is given from Dwarka More.

3.04 pm: Union minister Prahlad Patel says that protesting farmers have “violated the dignity” of the Red Fort today. “The Red Fort is a symbol of the dignity of our democracy, the agitators should have stayed away from the Red Fort,” he tweets as surreal images from moments ago showed farmers breaking into the fort’s complex and hoisting flags. “I condemn the violation of its dignity. It is sad and unfortunate.”

3.00 pm: Joint Commissioner of Police Shalini Singh appeals to the protesting farmers to maintain peace, reports ANI. “Since morning we had been appealing to farmers to go by pre-approved route but some of them broke police barricades, attacked police personnel,” she says. “This isn’t a peaceful protest.”

2.57 pm: The Connaught Place in central Delhi will remain closed today in view of the ongoing tractor parade by farmers, which turned violent at some places in the city, the New Delhi Traders Association says, reports PTI. On Republic Day every year, Connaught Place opens around 1 pm.

2.54 pm: Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tait alleges that some politicians are trying to malign their agitation, reports ANI. “We know the people who are trying to create disturbance, they are identified,” he adds.

2.19 pm: One farmer was reportedly killed while driving his tractor near ITO, as he was allegedly shot at and then lost control of his vehicle, reports The Wire, quoting witnesses from the protest site. The man’s body is currently being kept near the ITO flyover by other protesters, who are not letting the ambulance take it away as they allege doctors will “change the reports”.

Situation at ITO escalated dramatically after the police used tear gas shells to disperse a sea of protestors.

2.13 pm: After entering the Red Fort complex, farmers are hoisting yellow coloured flags outside the structure.

2.08 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expresses concern over the escalating situation, and urges the Narendra Modi government to put an end to this by repealing the contentious farm laws. “Violence is not the solution to any problem,” he adds, as reports of police using tear gas and batons on protestors come in. “If anyone gets hurt, the damage will happen to our country.”

2.05 pm: A section of protestors is now waving flags from the ramparts of the Red Fort, while their counterparts shout slogans from below, ANI visuals show.

2.03 pm: Farmers keep arriving at the Red Fort in swelling numbers, reports The Indian Express.

1.59 pm: Rows of tractors start lining outside the Red Fort as farmers diverted from the original route for the tractor rally, after clashing with the police near ITO.

1.46 pm: A group of farmers deviate from the pre-designated routes for the tractor parade, and reach the Red Fort in Delhi, reports PTI.

1.38 pm: Farmers atop trucks take out mini proccessions near Singhu border.

1.35 pm: Utter chaos prevails near ITO in Delhi as farmers on tractors chased away police personnel deployed to stop them from proceeding further, reports NDTV.

1.17 pm: Meanwhile, police fire tear gas at protesting farmers near Peera Garhi metro station in Delhi.

1.15 pm: A protesting farmer tells NDTV that they’ll proceed towards India Gate from ITO.

1.05 pm: Farmer leader Balbir Sinh Rajewal condemns violence against protestors and says that they are following the pre-decided route for tractor rally, reports PTI.

1 pm: Visuals from Faridabad show police lathicharge protesting farmers, reports NDTV.

12.58 pm: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation says that entry and exit gates of Samaypur Badli, Rohini Sector 18/19, Haiderpur Badli Mor, Jahangir Puri, Adarsh Nagar, Azadpur, Model Town, GTB Nagar, Vishwavidyalaya, Vidhan Sabha, Civil Lines and Indraprastha metro station are closed.

12.55 pm: According to NDTV, clashes are taking place between the Delhi Police and protesting farmers in Central Delhi’s ITO junction. Police are firing tear gas shells to disperse the farmers, reports ANI.

12.48 pm: Visuals show some farmers splashing their face with water after being exposed to tear gas near Maharaja Surajmal metro station in Delhi.

12.45 pm: Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, says the farmers’ tractor rally is going on peacefully, according to ANI. “I don’t have any knowledge of it,” he says when asked about violent incidents. “We are at Ghazipur and are releasing the traffic here.”

12.44 pm: At ITO, farmers breach barricades near Delhi Police headquarters, reports ANI.

12.40 pm: Farmers have reached ITO and ISBT Kashmiri Gate, reports NDTV.

12.35 pm: More visuals of farmers entering Delhi for their tractor rally.

12.32 pm: Farmers began their tractor march in Delhi much before scheduled time, reports PTI. At Delhi’s Mukarba Chowk, security personnel use tear gas as farmers try to break barricades and cemented barriers.

11.33 am: NDTV Visuals show farmers breach barricades in a bid to enter Delhi as the police fire tear gas on them.

11.31 am: The police are using tear gas on farmers at the Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar area, reports ANI.

11.30 am: Massive crowds are seen at the Tikri border near Delhi, where thousands of farmers are participating in today’s tractor rally.

11.28 am: Chaos ensues at Mukarba Chowk area of Delhi as some protesting farmers climb atop a police vehicle, while others remove the police barricades set on the way to stop their tractors from entering the city, reports ANI.

11.19 am: Heavy security has been deployed in Delhi in view farmers’ parade. Here’s Delhi Police’s latest traffic advisory.

11.14 am: Some visuals from the Singhu border where farmers have turned their tractor march into an occasion of jubilation with music, dance and langar.

11.06 am: Delhi Police use tear gas at Singhu border to stop thousands of protesting farmers from entering the city before time for the tractor rally, reports ANI.

9.24 am: Caravans of tractors line up at Shingu border as tens of thousands of farmers protesting against new farm laws stream into the Capital ahead of the Republic Day celebrations.

9.11 am: Thousands of farmers at Singhu border break police barricades and begin marching to Delhi ahead of their tractor rally. The Delhi Police had given the protestors permission to take out the march after the day’s traditional parade by the armed forces on Rajpath.

9.06 am: Farmers break police barricades at Tikri and Singhu border to enter Delhi ahead of their tractor rally, reports PTI.

7.38 am: Visuals from near Ghazipur ahead of the tractor rally.

7.30 am: Thousands of tractors clogged key roads in north India on Monday as farmers left their homes across Punjab and Haryana to join a tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day, reports the Hindustan Times.

7.28 am: Washed, clean and gleaming tractors, adorned with the tricolour and banners, are seen at Delhi’s borders, ahead of the mega tractor rally on Republic Day, reports the Hindustan Times.

7.23 am: The Delhi Police on Monday shut the Signature Bridge after farmers tried it enter from the Loni border side, reports News18. The police resorted to mild force to control the situation. Farmers are allowed to carry out a tractor rally from only three of Delhi’s border points – Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur.

7.20 am: The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, one of the major participants, in the farmers’ tractor rally on Monday declared that it would not stick to the route agreed upon by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and the police, reports NDTV.

Here are the top updates from Monday