The Indian government has stepped up security in the capital New Delhi after thousands of protesting farmers broke through police barricades and stormed key landmarks in a serious escalation of months of demonstrations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new agriculture laws.
By Wednesday, most protesters had returned to protest sites on the outskirts of the city following calls from one of the largest agricultural unions, as protest leaders prepared to meet to decide on the next steps in their campaign on who said they would continue peacefully.
Farmers, who have been camping at various border crossings around New Delhi for two months, were allowed to demonstrate after the completion of an annual military parade to mark Republic Day, a major public holiday in India. But many gathered early in the day and broke through the barricades on the outskirts of the city, prompting police to take place. tear gas in some areas.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organization of dozens of agricultural groups leading the protests, issued a statement late Tuesday, canceling the rest of the Delhi tractor parade and criticizing “antisocial elements” who “infiltrated the otherwise peaceful movement.” “The police blamed the protesters for deviating from the agreed routes and trying to enter the heart of the capital where the parliament and other government buildings are located.
Farmers climb Red Fort during a protest in New Delhi on January 26.
Photographer: Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg
The escalation of the farmers’ protest adds to Modi’s challenges amid efforts to reverse a contraction in Asia’s third-largest economy due to the coronavirus pandemic. It also comes a few days before a parliamentary session in which the government will present its annual budget detailing plans to stimulate economic activity in the year starting April 1.
Although the demonstrations hurt the government, Tuesday’s scenes of unruly farmers could undermine their cause, according to Asim Ali, a New Delhi-based researcher at the Center for Political Research.
“This has always been the danger and it seems to have gotten out of hand,” Ali said. “This is possible what the ruling party would have liked to see.”
Television footage showed thousands of protesters confronting police in central Delhi before reaching the iconic Red Fort, where Indian prime ministers usually address the nation on the country’s independence day in August. Farmers’ leaders called on protesters to remain peaceful, warning that any violence could affect their cause.
“We also condemn and regret the undesirable and unacceptable events that took place today and separate ourselves from those who indulge in such acts,” said Samyukt Kisan Morcha. “We have always considered that peace is our greatest strength and that any violation would affect the movement.”
Police confront farmers on New Delhi’s inner ring road.
Photographer: Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg
India’s federal interior ministry has suspended mobile internet services in parts of the city, where protests have been most tense. Also, several subway stations were closed, although by Wednesday most stations were reopened.
Protest leaders rejected Modi’s bid to temporarily table the three laws passed in September, which revised the way agricultural goods are sold in the country to more than 1.3 billion people, nearly half of whom depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. The government has defended the legislation, saying it will eliminate state-run wholesale intermediaries, increase profits for farmers and make India more autonomous.
Farmers travel along the inner ring road to downtown New Delhi.
Photographer: Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg
Farmers continued calls on the government to repeal the legislation, which they say will affect their revenues and leave them vulnerable to large corporations. While Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has a deadlock on parliament and is not expected to call a national vote until 2024, protests risk affecting its call for state elections and could stop the momentum for other reforms.
A farmer climbs a pole at the Red Fort.
Photographer: Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg
Tractor rallies marked the first time protesting farmers entered the capital. These are mostly from neighboring Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. But they also found support in other Indian cities, including the Mumbai and Bengaluru financial centers, where protest marches also took place.
(Reforms throughout. An earlier version of this story corrected the spelling of the quoted police officer.)