The R-Day unrest: Delhi sees violent protests; farmers' parade called off

The build up of two months at the Delhi borders against the three farm laws resulted in chaos on the roads of the national capital as many groups of farmers broke barriers and clashed with police during the tractor parade. However, the defining moment of the day was hoisting the Sikh religious flag along with that of the farmers' union on an empty flagstaff at the Red Fort.

As the religious flag was hoisted at the Red Fort on the day the country celebrated the Republic Day, unruly scenes and violence were witnessed at other places. The violence that broke out showed how ill-prepared the Delhi Police was to face the agitating farmers as it was unable to prevent the ‘siege’ of the fortified monument. Chaos prevailed for several hours in the Central Delhi, including outside the Delhi Police headquarters at ITO, Red Fort, and Nangloi before the farmers started returning to their camps at the borders.

Though the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmers' unions, distanced itself from those who broke barricades and entered the Red Fort, the incidents of the day revealed the forum's lack of full control over the protesters. Later in the evening, the organisation called off the Republic Day parade and asked the farmers to return to their respective protesting sites at the borders.

“Samyukt Kisan Morcha has called off the Kisan Republic Day parade with immediate effect, and has appealed to all participants to immediately return back to their respective protest sites. SKM announced the movement will continue peacefully and further steps will be discussed and decided soon,” SKM statement said.

The SKM had warned that miscreants could enter the tractor rally, which was to be a show of strength, and even police had acknowledged the presence of some fringe elements. Both sides could not prevent unruly scenes witnessed on the streets, hardly a few kilometers from the Rajpath where the Republic Day parade was still on.

“We thank farmers for the unprecedented participation in today's farmers' Republic Day parade. We also condemn and regret the undesirable and unacceptable events that have taken place today and dissociate ourselves from those indulging in such acts.”

“Despite all our efforts, some organisations and individuals have violated the route and indulged in condemnable acts. Anti-social elements had infiltrated the otherwise peaceful movement. We have always held that peace is our biggest strength, and that any violation would hurt the movement,” the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said.

It dissociated itself from all such elements that have violated the discipline. “We appeal strongly to everyone to stick to the route and norms of the parade, and not indulge in any violent action or anything that taints national symbols and dignity. We appeal to everyone to desist from any such acts.”

The Delhi Police accused the farmers of breaching the agreed routes and removing barricades. It registered a number of cases in connection with the violence, and rushed additional troops to the Red Fort. Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting of senior officers to assess the situation.

The trouble started on Republic Day when one of the farmers' unions, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) led by Satnam Singh Pannu, decided to start the tractor rally before the agreed upon time of 12pm. His organisation did not agree to the stance taken by the SKM to stick to the approved police routes, but tried to proceed to Outer Ring Road from the Singhu Border. They were stopped near Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar where they removed barricades after which the police lobbed tear gas shells, but could not stop them. Pannu, who had in the past been associated with a Left party, was one of first leaders to organise protest against the laws in September in Punjab.

Another group of farmers from the Gazipur border entered Delhi, and started moving towards ITO. They didn’t face much resistance from police, but encountered strong presence outside Delhi Police headquarters around 12pm. As the tractors were stopped from moving towards Rajpath, there were unruly scenes. Clashes were witnessed as farmers tried to break barricades, forcing police to lathi charge and use tear gas.

One farmer was killed after the tractor he was driving at high speed hit and barricade and overturned. Many farmers alleged he was shot at, and sat with his body at the scene. However, police released the CCTV footage to claim that his vehicle had overturned.

The tractors were diverted from ITO to Daryaganj, so they reached Red Fort. By 2pm, a huge group had gathered outside Red Fort. Many of them holding religious flags, tricolour, and farmers' union flags climbed atop the ramparts. After many unsuccessful attempts, flags were put up at empty flagstaff—the designated place where the prime minister hoists tricolour on Independence Day.

It took several hours for the police to push the protesters away. The flags were removed later in the evening. Punjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu was spotted with religious flag at Red Fort. In a video posted on his social media page, he said the anger of farmers came to boil.

Many farmers' bodies accused him of trying to hijack the movement with his antics. Sidhu had attracted attention with his hardline views on Khalistan during the farmers' protests in November last.

Elsewhere, unruly scenes were witnessed in Nangloi as some groups tried to divert from approved routes. Barring these incidents, the tractor rally went through the designated route, SKM claimed. The tractor rally was received at several places enthusiastically as people showered them with flowers, while at other place curious onlookers gathered to witness the scene.

The events of Republic Day have marked a new point in the ongoing agitation. Both the government and the farmers union may need to engage again deescalate.