New Delhi: Protesting farmers and their supporters during their tractor march on Republic Day, at ITO in New Delhi, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021.
Holding a special meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister ML Khattar, the Haryana Cabinet late on Tuesday appealed to all protesting farmers to return to their homes, in the wake of the events that unfolded in the national capital during the tractor parade. Khattar said farmer unions had assured a peaceful tractor rally in the national capital.
"But the events which unfolded today make it clear that this agitation is now not under the control of these farmer leaders. And the command of this agitation is now in the hands of such anarchic elements whose ideology is different from the farmers' interests," he said.
The chief minister issued a statement asking the farmer community to ponder over where their agitation was headed.
"The entire Haryana cabinet, through its special meeting held today, humbly appeals to all farmers of this agitation to return to their homes. The strong need of the hour this time is that together we defeat the designs of the anti-social elements," Khattar said.
Earlier, he described as "most unfortunate" the incident of a protesting farmer hoisting a religious flag at the Red Fort.
Such an incident at Red Fort on Republic Day is strongly condemnable, Khattar had said.
"In a democratic setup, there is adequate space to resolve issues through dialogue," he said, referring to the farmers who have been sitting in protest for two months near Delhi's borders against the Centre's new farm laws.
But no Indian will tolerate anyone hoisting any flag other than the tricolour from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Khattar said. This is an insult to those freedom fighters and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of this nation, he added.
The freedom fighters did not fight for the country's independence to see the spread of this type of anarchy, Khattar said.
41 policemen injured in farmers' violence at Red Fort
Almost half of the policemen injured in the farmers' violence on Tuesday were at the Red Fort where police personnel fell or jumped tens of feet down a wall after being pushed to the edge by a marauding mob. Protesting farmers violated the conditions pre-agreed for their tractor parade and indulged in violence and vandalism, leaving 86 police personnel injured, the Delhi Police said.
As many as 41 policemen suffered injuries at the Red Fort, a senior police officer said.
A video of the incident showing protestors corning the security personnel at an elevated portion of the Red Fort has gone viral on social media. Policemen could be seen jumping tens of feet of wall to save themselves from unruly protestors or being pushed down by them.
Authorities had also cut power to the Red Fort in order to disperse the farmers from the premises.
Thousands of protesting farmers who reached ITO from the Ghazipur border clashed with police. Many of them driving tractors reached the Red Fort and entered the monument.
They also hoisted flags on the domes and the flagstaff at the rampart of the national monument at which national tricolour is unfurled by the Prime Minister on Independence Day.
The entire area saw chaotic scenes for hours as the protesters rampaged pelting stones and police, damaging vehicles and vandalising inside Red Fort. Police tried to control the mob using lathicharge and firing tear gas shells.
