Frayed nerves at Tikri: ‘Didn’t come right here to take a seat at border for months on finish’

A tractor parade that started round 9 am from Tikri border, and which gave the impression to be progressing easily till midday, took a violent flip as farmers tried to veer off the designated route and police retaliated with lathi cost and teargas shells.
The parade, which was to finish at Asoda toll plaza as per a plan by farmer unions and Delhi Police till the earlier evening, lastly culminated with a big part of protesters touchdown up at Red Fort. The insistence of 1 group that they might proceed straight in direction of Peeragarhi as an alternative of turning proper in direction of Najafgarh — and over three hours of virtually steady teargas shelling by the police — led to tempers working excessive.

Two hours earlier than farmers broke by way of barricades at Nangloi, a sign of what was to comply with got here from one of many many protesters marching on foot from Tikri. Even as these round him claimed the parade would comply with the allotted route, Varinder Singh, a farmer from Punjab, stated, “We were able to cross Tikri and enter Delhi without issues… We will now look to reach Lal Qila and stay there… We’ve not come so far to sit at Tikri for months.”

Sukhveer Singh, one other protester, added, “We can continue this protest for even two years, we have enough community support for that. We can all eat at langars here… but we have to build pressure, we cannot keep sitting here.”
In the morning and early midday, lots of of tractors that left Tikri have been caught in a site visitors jam close to Jharoda Kalan. Tired of ready, some left their autos and sat on roads and pavements. Once motion started, the primary group of tractors managed to interrupt by way of barricades at Nangloi round midday, after police unsuccessfully tried to disperse them utilizing teargas.
What adopted was chaos under Nangloi flyover. Police fired a number of rounds of teargas and resorted to delicate lathicharge to disperse the gang, which saved coming again with heightened aggression. The want to deviate from the deliberate route solely elevated as information unfold that farmers from Ghazipur and Singhu had managed to achieve Lal Qila. A gaggle could possibly be heard discussing how they need to now flip their tractors to central Delhi.
But many additionally caught to the unique route. Gulvinder Singh from Punjab stated, “We will follow the route given by the leaders. I don’t know where the other tractors are going but what they are doing is wrong. It is going to taint our cause and weaken it.”

By 4 pm, the state of affairs had worsened. A gaggle of protesters climbed onto the roof of two police autos and hit the home windows and roof, shattering the glass and overturning one of many autos. Batons and shields of personnel have been now within the arms of some protesters. “We have waited peacefully for two months. Today, we faced tear gas and lathis repeatedly — we’re out of patience. If things have gone awry, the government is to blame,” stated Gurjant Singh from Bathinda.
Once barricades have been damaged, protesters confronted one other spherical of teargas and lathicharge close to Peeragarhi flyover. But they overpowered police and reached Lal Qila round 6 pm.