On the 72nd Republic Day, a planned rally against the Centre’s new farm laws slipped off its peaceful track and fell prey to violence, this time initiated by some of their own; maybe not. 

The tractor rally, planned by farmers’ groups to show the collective strength of their cause,  was to peacefully pass through designated routes on Tuesday but it turned violent after a bunch of protesting ‘farmers’ broke through police barricades to storm Delhi’s historic Red Fort complex and hoisted a religious flag at one of its high points. This picture was in complete contrast to the one taken a month back where a peacefully protesting farmer was being beaten up by a policeman. The image from the Red Fort was an antithesis of the one that evoked nationwide empathy and support for farmers. 

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As the country was marking 72 years of India’s inception as a republic, protesters riding atop thousands of tractors started rolling into the national capital. The protest, which has largely been peaceful for the last few months, took a wrong turn when some of the protesters decided to take a different route than what was decided by their undeclared leaders and started dismantling barricades and moving towards the city centre.

Farmer groups were allowed to take out the rally on the condition that they would not hamper the Republic Day celebrations. But, shortly after the parade came to a close, one group of protesters broke through police barricades and converged into the heart of the city near Parliament and the Income Tax Office. A group of protesters also stormed through security at the Red Fort where they clambered on to the walls and domes of the fortress and hoisted religious flags alongside the national flag, the move heavily criticised by people, who were supporting the larger cause otherwise.

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Violent clashes also took place near the ITO metro station junction – on the route to central Delhi. Several routes leading to the national capital were blocked which led to massive inconvenience to the public. Videos circulating on social media showed farmers attacking police with sticks and bare swords which led to the use of tear gas and batons by cops. Some of the rogue farmers even tried to run over cops, video footage showed. By late evening, at least one person had died and over 80 policemen were injured in the clashes near ITO, Red Fort area, Mukarba Chowk, Gazipur, Seemapuri, Nangloi T-Point and Tikri Border.

Farm leaders, who had promised a peaceful tractor march but failed to fulfill their assurance, distanced themselves from the violence. Blaming the chaos on rogue elements, they added that they would not call off their protests.

 “We condemn and regret the undesirable and unacceptable events and dissociate ourselves from those indulging in such acts,” said Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella group of protesting farmers. 

Claiming that Deep Sindhu – the man behind the Red Fort violence – was a BJP man and not part of their movement, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said: “ Deep Sidhu is not a Sikh he is a worker of the BJP. There is a picture of him with the PM. This is a movement of farmers & will remain so. Some people will have to leave this place immediately- those who broke barricading will never be a part of the movement.”

The Delhi Police, however, said that “farmer agitators broke the agreed terms and started their march much before the agreed time,” adding that the protesters “chose the path of violence and destruction.”

The police have registered 22 cases so far in connection with violence during farmers’ tractor rally against farm laws. Cases were filed against unknown protestors, including the farmer who died after his tractor overturned, reports ANI.

Several rounds of talks between the farmers and the government over the new laws failed to bring a resolution. As the protests have swelled in the last few weeks, the central government offered to amend some parts of the new laws, which it said were intended to inject private investment into the troubled agriculture sector. But the farmers said they would not take anything less than the complete scrapping of the law, which they say would lead to corporatisation of the sector. The Supreme Court also intervened, ordering the government to suspend the laws until it found a resolution with the protesters.

In all that happened on Republic Day, what is clear is that the violence has hurt the farmers’ protests and the movement in particular. It deals a blow to what has been, so far, its biggest boast that even as it has voiced its strong opposition to the Centre’s new farm laws, the movement has largely been peaceful. But Tuesday’s riotous scenes of protesting farmers forcing their way atop the ramparts of the Red Fort, to wave a flag that was not the Tricolour pose serious questions on the motive of the movement. The farmers’ movement is now on the back-foot and from here on every step forward will bear the burden of the violence on the Republic Day.