Farmers’ protests | Police give nod for tractor parades in Delhi on Republic Day

Protesting farmers will enter Delhi with their tractors on Republic Day, with farmer unions and police officers discovering a compromise answer on Saturday, after three days of session.

Farmer leaders claimed that the Delhi Police had given them permission to carry tractor parades on 5 routes throughout the nationwide capital on January 26. A senior police officer clarified that whereas the unique proposal to carry a rally on Outer Ring Road has been vetoed, farmers might be allowed to enter Delhi in the course of their parade.

More than 2 lakh tractors will take part in the parades, which can begin from a number of factors on the border, enter the capital for a stretch after which exit once more, in line with farmer unions. A management room is being set as much as coordinate the parades and greater than 2,500 volunteers might be deployed to facilitate motion of the automobiles. The farmers’ parade will solely start nicely after the official Republic Day parade on Rajpath is accomplished, they added.

Tens of hundreds of farmers, principally from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been tenting at a number of border factors across the capital for nearly two months, demanding a repeal of three farm reform legal guidelines and a authorized assure that Minimum Support Prices (MSP) might be paid for their crops. Their negotiations with Union Ministers got here to a standstill on Friday, however Saturday’s discussions with police officers had been extra fruitful.

The Delhi Police have given its nod to the farmers’ tractor parade on Republic Day in the nationwide capital, Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh spokesperson Abhimanyu Kohar mentioned after attending the assembly between the unions and the police. He mentioned the tractor parades will begin from the Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri border factors of Delhi, and particulars might be finalised on Saturday evening. Thousands of farmers, together with many ladies, have already reached the Singhu border from Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand to take part in the rally, he added.

“Preparations are in full swing for disciplined conduct of the rally. We are getting a huge response from farmers. We had a meeting with police and final route of the rally has been discussed and it will be conveyed to protesters,” Mr. Kohar mentioned.

Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who heads a faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union in Haryana, advised reporters that as hundreds of farmers will take part in the parade, there might be no single route.

Krantikari Kisan Union president Darshan Pal mentioned that barricades arrange at Delhi border factors, might be eliminated on January 26 and farmers will take out tractor rallies after getting into the nationwide capital. It might be a peaceable rally and protesters will observe the route map agreed throughout the assembly.

A senior police officer mentioned that they haven’t allowed the farmers to carry a protest on Outer Ring Road as had been initially proposed. However, the tractors might be allowed to enter Delhi and go away. A route has been fastened throughout the assembly for the rally and leaders have been requested to carry out the rally on the proposed route peacefully, added the official.

“Currently, the police is questioning him. Till the time this is going on, to say anything will not be appropriate,” added the officer.

This comes a day after protesters handed over a person to Haryana Police who had allegedly come to kill farm leaders. The suspect advised police that he was thrashed by a gaggle folks at Singhu border earlier than he was introduced earlier than media. A video of the suspect has been extensively circulated on social media. The video was recorded when he was grilled by Haryana Police.

“On January 26, there was a plan to create disturbance during the tractor parade by opening fire on Delhi Police personnel, which would prompt them to retaliate against the protesting farmers in a strong manner,” he claimed throughout a press convention at Singhu border on Friday evening.

A police official mentioned the person, acknowledged to be round 21 years of age, was being quizzed in Sonipat by the Crime Branch of the state police. The man has been residing in Sonipat and has no earlier legal document.

“He was not carrying any arms or ammunition. We are questioning him, but nothing has so far been found that points to any kind of conspiracy, as is being alleged,” the official mentioned earlier in the day, including that additional investigations are underway.