Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 23: In a bid to avert a possible clash with the agitating farmers, the Delhi police have given permission to the farmers to take out the proposed tractor rally in Delhi on the Republic Day and the farmers have given an undertaking to the police that they will maintain peace during the entire event.
After days of deliberations, 11 rounds so far, between the farmers’ unions and the central government failed to break the deadlock over the issue of repeal of the three contentious farm laws, farmers and the police seemed to be heading on a collision course over the issue of a tractor parade in Delhi on the Republic Day.
The farmers wanted to take out the rally through the outer Ring Road of Delhi but the police was reluctant fearing that it could create law and order problem and wanted the farmers to organize the rally away from the busy Ring Road. The farmers had reiterated their resolve to take out the rally at all costs and warned the government that any violence at the rally would be the responsibility of the police.
After several rounds of discussions during the last few days, the police on Saturday gave the agitating farmers the permission to take out the tractor rally. “Farmers have been allowed to enter Delhi and travel up to 100km distance on each route,” farmer leader Darshan Pal said.
The details of the routes and the number of participants would be finalized by the farmers by Sunday and shared with the police. The farmer leaders have assured the police that the show would be peaceful and have asked all the participants to remain peaceful.
“We will take out a historical and peaceful parade and it will have no effect on the Republic Day parade or the security arrangements,” Yadav said.
The tractor parades will start from the Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri border points of Delhi. Opening border points that have remained shut for two months now, Delhi police will allow farmers to enter Delhi from five entry points. “We have been allowed to cover 100 km distance on each route,” farmer leader Darshan Pal said.
As soon as the Delhi police ave the nod for the rally, hundreds of tractors left for Delhi from various centres in Punjab and Haryana to take part in the rally. They carried with them some ration, mattresses and other essentials to spend the next few days on the road.
Tractors carried the flags of the unions, some sported the tricolour, and also posters with slogans of ‘Kisan Ekta Zindabad’, ‘No Farmer, No Food’ and ‘Kaale Kanoon Radd Karo’.
Farmer unions protesting the Centre’s three farm laws had said they would go ahead with their tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day.
Farmer leaders said that the tractor parade would be peaceful.
“Over 30,000 tractors and trolleys today moved from Khanauri (in Sangrur, Punjab) and Dabwali (in Sirsa district, Haryana) to join the tractor parade in Delhi,” said Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan. They are expected to reach the Tikri border by Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the police are interrogating the masked man handed over by the farmers.
On Friday, farmer leaders handed over a man to the police alleging that he was sent to shoot four farmer leaders and cause disruption to their tractor march on January 26.
“The police are interrogating him and nothing can be said until the investigation is completed. All usual security arrangements are in place for Republic Day programmes,” Khattar said.
In Bhopal, police used water cannons, tear gas and lathi charge against Madhya Pradesh Congress, led by state leader Kamal Nath, marching towards the governor’s residence in support of the farmers’ agitation.