Hundreds of police closed several main roads around New Delhi Wednesday and fortified the capital’s Red Fort after thousands of farmers stormed the historic area of the capital, leading to clashes with authorities that left one person dead and dozens injured.
The violence marked the most intense development in two months of protests by tens of thousands of farmers demanding the full repeal of new laws they contend will favor large corporate farmers over their smaller counterparts.
The protests by the farmers, many of whom are Sikhs from the key agricultural states of Punjab and Haryana, have grown into one of the most significant challenges for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government since it came to power in 2014. The country’s estimated 150 million landowning farmers are the most dominant voting bloc in the South Asian country and key contributors to its economy.
The government says the laws will benefit all farmers and increase production through private investment. But as the protests have gained strength, the government has offered to suspend the laws for 18 months.
After being camped out on the outskirts of New Delhi for two months, more than 10,000 tractors and thousands of people on foot or horseback paraded around the capital to coincide with Tuesday’s Republic Day festivities, clashing with police who tried to restrain them with water cannons, batons and tear gas after breaching barricades.
The protests have gained momentum, unsettling the government. But there are concerns the violence could weaken the protest movement that has been mostly peaceful.
Police had removed protesters from the 17th-century fort by late Tuesday, but police maintained a heavy presence Wednesday.
The protests have begun to weaken support for Modi in the countryside, but he maintains a comfortable majority in parliament.
While the Modi government has shown no sign of complying with farmers’ demand to fully repeal the new laws, it has said it will provide new opportunities for farmers.
About half of India’s population of 1.3 billion work in the country’s agriculture industry.
Security Tightened in New Delhi After Farmers Clash with Police
- By VOA News
