Farmers Protest in Delhi: Protesters were seen within the ramparts of Red fort.
New Delhi:
As protesting farmers breached barricades and changed their agreed route to enter central Delhi on Republic Day, dozens of tractors rolled into the Red Fort.
Protesters were seen within the ramparts of the iconic Mughal-built monument, trying to put up yellow Sikh religious flags.
The Red Fort complex was overrun with tractors and farmers holding flags within moments, with the police severely outnumbered. The farmers said they would not budge from the monument.
“Everybody come to Red Fort,” shouted the farmers triumphantly against the backdrop of music blaring from tractors.
#WATCH A protestor hoists a flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi#FarmLaws#RepublicDaypic.twitter.com/Mn6oeGLrxJ
— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2021
Farmers clashing with the police at the ITO intersection a few km away stopped and headed to the Red Fort, as did thousands from several parts of Delhi.
Soon, security and police personnel arrived to secure the Red Fort.
The farmers agreed to leave the Red Fort, saying they wanted to send a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that message had been delivered.
However, even as security personnel removed protesters from the Red Fort, violence erupted again and there was a police lathi charge.
For nearly two months, the farmers had not been allowed to enter Delhi, and they had camped at several points just outside the city.
The farmers are protesting against three central laws that the feel will harm their income and take away their guaranteed minimum earnings.
The farmers entering Delhi were mostly from the neighboring states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
The government has offered to suspend the laws for 18 months while it talks with the protest leaders, but the farmers have stuck to the their position that they want the laws repealed.