Farmers protests on Republic Day: The choice to permit the tractor rally in the city was taken at the political level in spite of red flags raised by the Delhi Police in numerous meetings in the Ministry of Home Affairs, The Indian Express reported citing sources. The police had issues that the tractor parade could go off course but the political get in touch with was to permit the protestors else they could take a ‘more confrontationist’ stand.
The intelligence agencies had expressed apprehensions of law and order troubles if the tractor rally was permitted into the national capital on Republic Day. The agencies had inputs that attempts would be produced to break the barricades and enter the city. And this is why the police had earlier denied permission for a tractor rally.
“However, the government was of the opinion that not allowing farmers to hold the rally would only make them more ‘confrontationist and aggressive’, as they were expected to go ahead with the rally, with or without permission. So a middle ground was negotiated, where the farmers could hold their tractor rally without entering the heart of the city on Republic Day,” a Home ministry official told IE.
As per the report, the official stated that it was anticipated that a section of protesters would attempt to enter the city. It was for this cause, he stated, that heavy barricading was carried out at Tikri, Singhu, Nangloi, and Ghazipur borders. The Delhi Police had employed iron and cement barricades. Ghazipur road was blocked working with a container loaded with sand. But practically nothing could cease the farmers who knocked down cement barricades and towed away the sand container.
The report says that the Delhi Police kept getting inputs about the possibility of protesters marching towards Rajpath and Red Fort. At 12.30 pm, the report stated, a message was sent by the Special Branch of Delhi Police to all DCPs and senior officers. The message clearly stated that inputs had been received that the “reaching of farmers with tractors to Rajpath, India Gate, Red Fort, Ramlila Ground, Rashtrapati Bhawan, PM residence, HM residence, Parliament House, CM House and LG House cannot be ruled out… it is suggested that adequate and prompt arrangements by local police, including women personnel, PCR, and traffic, may be deployed.”
However, by this time, the scenario had currently spiralled out of manage and about thousands of protestors had entered Central Delhi. The IE reports that intelligence agencies had also shared inputs a day just before the rally that some anti-social components could attempt to disrupt peace by taking non-designated routes on Tuesday. However, after protesters breached border points at Singhu and Ghazipur, most of them had a cost-free run till they reached Red Fort and ITO, exactly where the deadly clash took spot involving police and agitators.