Kisan rally turns violent, world saw it differently; read here

As India celebrated its 72nd Republic Day with great pomp and show, the big day was marred with protesting farmers clashing with police at several places in the national capital of Delhi. Protesting farmers entered the iconic Red Fort and the ITO in the heart of national capital, with hundreds of them deviating from agreed routes, prompting security personnel to resort to lathicharge and tear gas.

More than 20 tractors entered the Red Fort with national flags this afternoon, hours after the farmers' parade began.

The visuals emerging from ITO, where the police headquarters is situated was even more disturbing. Policemen in riot gear appeared to be helpless as they were outnumbered by the protesting farmers, were seen running or hiding behind cars as farmers armed with sticks chased them ramming their tractors into the buses parked there.

The two buses that were rammed had been used to block the farmers from progressing further on the crucial road connecting to the top government offices in the capital.

The world media covered this unfortunate incident which happened in the heart of India's capital on an auspicious day when the nation celebrated its Republic day - a day reminding that we, the people of this nation, are ruled by an elected government and an elected leader. 

THE NEW YORK TIMES

The New York Times headline read: Indian Farmer Protest Turns Unruly in Challenge to Modi

The media wrote, "Thousands of protesting farmers poured into the Indian capital of New Delhi on Tuesday as they used their tractors to pull barricades apart, prompting police to fire tear gas and marking a chaotic start to an event that had already been set to pose a direct challenge to the government.

The farmers protesting against India’s new farm laws had been expected to start a procession of tractors through the city at noon local time, to prevent interferences with celebrations commemorating India’s Republic Day holiday in central Delhi. But farmers began to dismantle barricades about two hours early amid some apparent confusion among protesters.

The protest had already threatened to upstage the 72nd annual celebration of the inception of India's Constitution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi oversaw a lavish parade by the armed forces, but news broadcasters showed surreal scenes of Mr Modi saluting officers while chaos was breaking out in several parts of the city just a few miles away.

At the city’s border with the village of Ghazipur, where farmers have been camped out for months in protest, tractors removed a shipping container placed to block their route as police stood by helplessly. Elsewhere, thick clouds of tear gas rose over approved march routes as farmers on tractors, on horses and on foot forcefully began their rally hours ahead of schedule.

The farmers waved flags and taunted police officers, TV news showed. Many carried long swords, tridents, sharp daggers and battle axes - functional if largely ceremonial weapons. It appeared that most protesters were not wearing masks, despite India's Covid-19 outbreak."

CNN INTERNATIONAL

CNN International headline read: Republic Day 2021: Indian farmers ramp up their protest by riding tractors into the capital

The media wrote, "Hundreds of thousands of farmers drove their tractors in convoy into the Indian capital New Delhi on Tuesday, as part of ongoing, nationwide protests against controversial agricultural laws that farmers say put their livelihoods at risk.

Tear gas and flash bangs could been seen on live streams from the city's streets as police moved to contain large crowds of protestors in tractors and on foot from breaking through barricades. Both police and protesters were spotted with large sticks in the streets.

Farmers planned their march to coincide with the government's parade, which has been scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic. The massive protests have been a significant challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as months of demonstrations and sit-ins across the country against his key agricultural policy have grown into a stalemate marked by deadlocked talks between farmers and his administration.

Police used tear gas and batons against protesters outside Delhi police headquarters and at two bordering areas of the city as some farmers broke through barricades, protesters said Tuesday."

THE WASHINGTON POST

The Washington Post headline read: Angry farmers drive thousands of tractors into New Delhi

The media wrote, "Tens of thousands of protesting farmers drove long lines of tractors into India’s capital on Tuesday, breaking through police barricades, defying tear gas and storming the historic Red Fort as the nation celebrated Republic Day.

They waved farm union flags from the ramparts of the fort, where prime ministers annually hoist the national flag to mark the country's independence.

Thousands more farmers marched on foot or rode on horseback while shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At some places, they were showered with flower petals by residents who recorded the unprecedented rally on their phones.

Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons at numerous places to push back the rows upon rows of tractors, which shoved aside concrete and steel barricades. Authorities blocked roads with large trucks and buses in an attempt to stop the farmers from reaching the center of the capital."

BBC WORLD

The BBC headline read: Tractor rally: India farmers clash with police in massive protest

The media wrote, "Thousands of farmers protesting at agriculture reforms have fought through barricades and tear gas to enter Delhi on India's Republic Day. They are on foot and in tractors - part of a massive rally that was planned to coincide with the annual celebrations.

But many protesters diverted from the agreed routes and clashes have broken out with police along the way. Farmers at Ghazipur started marching towards central Delhi, where India's parliament is located. 

Images from the ITO metro station junction - which is on their route to central Delhi - showed police clashing with protesting farmers and using tear gas and batons to stop them. Protesters driving tractors appeared to be deliberately trying to run over police personnel. Local media reported injuries on both sides.

BBC correspondents say protesters outnumber the police at the ITO junction, and the latter are struggling to control the crowd. More scuffles are expected along the way as they are not allowed in central Delhi where official celebrations are taking place."

ALJAZEERA

AlJazeera headline read: Indian police use tear gas as protesting farmers rally in capital

The media wrote, "A rally by tens of thousands of Indian farmers to the capital New Delhi has turned violent, with police using tear gas and baton-charging the protesters as they broke barricades in the heart of the city.

The clashes took place on Tuesday as farmers held a 'tractor rally' to coincide with India's Republic Day celebrations. They are demanding the repeal of three farm laws passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government last year.

Protesters defied tear gas shelling and continued to march on the highway as they raised slogans against the government, forcing the shutting down of several metro stations in the city.

Waving multicoloured flags and holding placards, the protesting farmers marched on tractors, cars, motorbikes, horses and on foot from the outskirts of the city, where they had been camping for two months.

Police blocked several routes to the capital with metal and concrete barricades, and trucks so that the marching farmers could only take the routes permitted by the authorities.

But the farmers decided to enter the capital ahead of the permitted time, resulting in police launching tear gas and baton attacks on them."

Bloomberg

Bloomberg Opinion piece headline read: India’s Modi Should Hold Firm on Farming

The media wrote, "India's agitating farmers show no signs of fading away. Angry cultivators have been camped on the doorstep of Delhi for weeks through north India’s bitingly cold winter. They have shown a talent for staying in the headlines as well, with attention-grabbing stunts such as staging a tractor convoy to rival India's official Republic Day parade.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government looks rattled. But it should hold firm. The reforms that have so incensed protesters go further in addressing Indian agriculture's most intractable problems than any previously contemplated. Those changes need to be protected, not abandoned."

The Guardian

The Guardian headline read: Violent clashes as Indian farmers storm Delhi's Red Fort

The media wrote, "Farmers protesting against new agriculture laws in India have broken through police barricades around the capital, Delhi, and entered the grounds of the city's historic Red Fort, in chaotic and violent scenes that overshadowed Republic Day celebrations.

Police hit protesters with batons and fired teargas to try to disperse the crowds after hundreds of thousands of farmers, many on tractors or horses, marched on the capital on Tuesday. One protester was confirmed to have died in the clashes, and dozens were injured.

Mobile internet services were suspended in some parts of Delhi, and some metro stations closed.

Standing on the ramparts of the Red Fort was Diljender Singh, a farmer from Punjab, who held aloft the Nishan Sahib, the flag of Sikhism."