The farmers’ protests had taken a vigorous turn, specifically after the violence at the ITO.

Groups of protesting farmers reached Red Fort after breaching police barricades, attacking personnel, and even vandalizing a bus at ITO. One person was killed at protests in ITO after his tractor turned turtle after being shot at.

The chaos unfolded despite the police giving farmers camping at Delhi’s three borders, Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur, permission to hold rallies on specific routes, only after the official Republic Day parade at Rajpath. As per the agreement, farmers were to remain in the adjoining areas of the borders and not venture towards Central Delhi. At Singhu, amid the chaos, the police resorted to lathicharge and tear gas to control the protesters.

Also See: An overview of Farmers’ protests-role of Charan Singh

Various farmers’ groups began the tractor rally before the time allotted by Delhi police. There had been differences in opinions regarding when to take out the rally. Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee had stated that they would not stick with the pre-decided routes.

“We came here to deliver a message to the Modi government, our job is done. We will go back now,” one of the farmers told an NDTV-correspondent at the Red Fort. “We managed to reach the Fort even though they tried to stop us. We will not stop till we reach our goal, the repeal of the three farm laws,” another farmer said.

Police gradually managed to remove Protesters from Red Fort.

The tractors-rally will mark the completion of two months of protest against the Centre’s contentious farm laws by farmers camping at the borders of Delhi. Farmer leaders also announced a plan to march on foot to Parliament on February 1, the day the Union Budget will be presented.

The development comes in contrast to the promise held by the protesters to keep the rally peaceful, especially after the message given by the Punjab CM-Capt Amarinder Singh.

Rahul Gandhi pleaded for peace

As protesting farmers clashed with police at several places in Delhi on Republic Day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that violence was never the solution to any problem and appealed to the Centre to scrap the three contentious farm laws.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said, “Violence is not the solution to any problem. If anyone gets hurt, the damage will happen to our country. Take back the anti-farmer law for the benefit of the country.”