The state has been roiled by fighting between the majority Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo people since May
Indian farmers knock down police barricades ahead of tractor rally in Delhi
Thousands of farmers knocked down police barricades as they entered Delhi Tuesday morning on foot amid huge police presence ahead of the huge tractor rally, which was allowed to be held after the annual Republic Day parade at the iconic Rajpath.
Published : 26 Jan 2021, 04:32 AM
Updated : 26 Jan 2021, 04:32 AM
In unprecedented visuals, chaos could be seen unfolding at the Singhu border, which divides Delhi and Haryana, and Tikri border in the western part of the national capital, NDTV reports.
Thousands were seen marching with flags; many of them were also on tractors.
The farmers' tractor rally against the farm laws - Kisaan Parade - was expected to be held after 12 pm local time. However, huge crowds gathered on the borders at around 8 am.
More than 5,000 protesters near the Singhu border - the epicentre of the agitation against the new agricultural laws that began late November - were adamant to march ahead. At Tikri, farmers' leaders asked the protesters to maintain calm. The representatives decided to hold a meeting with cops to decide the timing of the rally. "Our rally will be peaceful and we will stick to the routes assigned," a leader told NDTV.
Farmers gather to take part in a tractor rally to protest against farm laws on the occasion of India's Republic Day at Singhu border near Delhi, India, January 26, 2021. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
On Sunday, Delhi Police had allowed the tractor rally after the annual Republic Day parade. The protesters were told they can't disrupt the celebrations at Rajpath even as the farmers insisted their parade will be "peaceful".
However, Delhi Police had also sounded a warning. "Mischievous elements can create a law-and-order situation," Deependra Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence), said.
"Over 300 Twitter handles have been generated from Pakistan during January 13 to 18 to disrupt the tractor rally by farmers only by misleading people. There are inputs about the same from different agencies too. It will be a challenging task for us, but the rally will be conducted amid tight security after the Republic Day parade is over," he added.
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