Violence erupts at the last protest of Indian farmers against changes in the agricultural law

In some corners of the capital, police tried to stop them, hitting the crowds with sticks. Local media broadcast scenes with farmers pushing their tractors into parked buses to block roads and detain them.

Some subway stations have been closed and the Indian Ministry of the Interior has ordered the closure of the internet in some areas of Delhi and the surrounding area.

More than 80 police officers were injured during the protests, said Anil Mittal, a Delhi Police spokesman. Delhi police say a group of protesters riding swords have accused police barricades in an incident.

“This protest has affected many public properties and many police officers have been injured,” Delhi police said in a statement. “We call on protesters to keep the peace.”

Vikram Singh, joint secretary of the All India Agricultural Workers Union, a national body of about seven million farmers, said most protesters were peaceful. He said at least one farmer died during the protest.

“In the last two months, our movement has been peaceful and disciplined. The use of force by the police has led to chaos, “said Mr Singh. “The government has played with the excitement of farmers.”

The protests have emerged as the biggest challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he took power in 2014. Mr Modi has backed an ambitious renovation of India’s agricultural sector through new agricultural laws as part of a larger plan to help the nation’s economy to recover from one of the worst Covid-19 recessions in the world.

The government says the laws will dismantle some of the government’s control over agricultural markets in the hope that greater competition and private sector involvement will streamline and modernize the sector. Protesting farmers worry that the laws would drastically reduce government support.

The laws were passed by Parliament in September with little debate. Farmers converged on the capital in November, demanding the repeal of the laws. Government and agricultural leaders held more than 10 meetings, and Mr Modi’s government offered to postpone law enforcement for 18 months.

Protesting farmers are concerned that the laws mark the beginning of the dismantling of a system of regulations, subsidies and support that supports their low incomes. Most come from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, which are most dependent on the government system.

Many economists have argued for years about the types of changes Mr Modi is making, saying they will boost investment and encourage innovation and efficiency. Deregulation is expected to help increase incomes for farmers and lower prices for consumers by reducing the number of government-sanctioned intermediaries and giving companies more reasons to invest in the industry.

While farmers and regular consumers may eventually benefit, policymakers say it will continue to be a difficult change for many traders, who will be exposed to greater competition, and farmers, who fear losing buyers who are forced to buy their grain. and produce at prices set by the state.

Prime Minister Modi’s party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has strengthened its power at the national and state levels, and many economists expected it could use its dominant position to push for unpopular but necessary reforms. Agricultural laws have been among the BJP’s most ambitious attempts to change the way the Indian economy is run.

Some economists and investors have said they will be careful to see if Mr Modi decides that the effort is not worth hitting his party to vote.

“Agricultural reform has been delayed, and the government has the numbers and support to make these changes a reality,” said Mihir Sharma, head of the economics and growth program at the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi. “It would be a shame to give in to protests that were entirely predictable.”

—Vibhuti Agarwal and Krishna Pokharel contributed to this article.

Write to Eric Bellman at [email protected] and Rajesh Roy at [email protected]