[After farmers broke through
barricades, police fired tear gas canisters and beat protesters with sticks
at several locations. A major confrontation unfolded near
India’s Supreme Court, where farmers threw stones and drove tractors at
high speed toward police personnel.]
By Joanna Slater and Taniya Dutta
The unprecedented rally was meant
as a show of strength by the protesting farmers, who have spent two months camped out on the borders of the city
to oppose new agricultural laws that they consider a threat to their livelihoods.
But the demonstration turned
violent as some farmers deviated from the protest routes approved by police.
Instead, they forced their way toward the center of the city, taking over a
major intersection and climbing the ramparts
of Delhi's famed Red Fort, built in the 17th century.
[Why
India’s farmers are in revolt in the middle of a pandemic]
After farmers broke through
barricades, police fired tear gas canisters and beat protesters with sticks
at several locations. A major confrontation unfolded near
India’s Supreme Court, where farmers threw stones and drove tractors at
high speed toward police personnel.
One farmer died in what police said
was an accident, New Delhi Television reported. More than 80 police officers in
total were injured, said Eish Singhal, a spokesman for the Delhi police. It is
unclear how many protesters suffered injuries, but 10 were admitted at Lok
Nayak hospital, said Suresh Kumar, the hospital’s medical director.
The tenacity of the farmer protests
and the chaotic scenes in Delhi represent a growing political problem for the
government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which won a landslide
reelection victory in 2019.
The farmers want the government to
rescind the three laws, which deregulate the buying and selling of agricultural
goods. Last week, the government reportedly offered to suspend implementation of the laws for 18
months, but farmer unions have stuck to their demand for a full repeal.
Farmers fear that the new laws will
undermine the system of guaranteed prices for certain crops and allow large
corporations to exploit cultivators. The government says the reforms are
necessary to shift away from outdated practices and liberalize the sector.
For Modi — the most powerful Indian
prime minister in five decades — the farm reforms represent a rare
miscalculation. In late 2019, widespread protests broke out in cities across the country against a new citizenship
law, but the pandemic ultimately derailed them. The protests by farmers, many
of whom belong to India’s Sikh minority, have proved organized and durable.
Opposition parties have expressed
solidarity with the protests, but farmer groups have kept their distance to
avoid politicizing their movement.
The anger among farmers reflects a
“larger crisis” of stagnating incomes in states such as Punjab and Haryana,
which “generally saw rising prosperity in the last 50 years,” said Mahesh
Rangarajan, a historian at Ashoka University. “The law is only the flash
point.”
On Tuesday, farmer leaders pleaded
for the protesters to maintain peace and return to the designated routes. An
umbrella group of farmer unions released a statement disassociating itself from
“elements that have violated our discipline.” Politicians also called for calm. The Home Ministry ordered telecom companies
to suspend mobile Internet service in parts of the city in an attempt to quell
the protests.
Hundreds of farmers entered the Red
Fort, formerly home to rulers of the Mughal dynasty and a symbol of state power
in India. They scaled the monument’s walls and hoisted a flag associated with
Sikhism as armed police in riot gear looked on.
Kaka Singh, 21, was overwhelmed by
the sight of the flag flying atop the ramparts. For the last two months, Singh
was among tens of thousands of farmers camped out at the border between Delhi
and Haryana.
“We are challenging Modi to listen
to our voices,” he said. “We have shown this government our strength.” Many of
the protesters later left the monument.
The clashes unfolded on Republic
Day, a national holiday marking the birth of India’s constitution that is
celebrated with a military parade down Delhi’s main ceremonial avenue.
[Photos:
Amid rain and bitter cold, India’s protesting farmers vow not to back down]
Farmers had planned a different
kind of commemoration. At an entry point into Delhi from the neighboring state
of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, there was a sense of exuberance. A field of
tractors filled the highway in neat lines as far as the eye could see. Farmers
waved Indian flags and said they were thrilled to enter the national capital
after a sit-in that has lasted more than 60 days.
Somnam Ramprasad, 75, a farmer from
Moradabad, said he woke up at 4 a.m. to
make sure he would be part of what he called a “historic day.”
As the farmers prepared to enter
the city, some blared horns and threw flower petals in celebration. This is
“our capital, our roads,” said Kale Singh, a 55-year-old farmer from a district
about 100 miles away. “No one can stop us.”
Niha Masih contributed to this
report.
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