Indian farmers are not to budge, police ratchet up reinforcement
Indian police have deployed a significant number of its forces nationwide in an attempt to smother fresh protests by farmers who have been nursing a grievance against agricultural reforms introduced by New Delhi.
On Saturday, ten subway stations were closed in central New Delhi and thousands of police personnel manned barricades and roadblocks at key intersections.
Last month, the central parts of the capital saw a tractor march that turned into a violent rampage.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government introduced a series of agricultural laws in September 2020, to the discontent of farmers, who say the new laws will hurt their livelihoods.
Clashes between protesters, police, and groups of anti-farmers have taken place on multiple occasions since then.
Farmers’ unions say the laws will affect nearly 70 percent of the 1.3-billion population who are drawing their livelihood from agriculture. They say they would not budge “until the laws are repealed.”
The government insists it will not bow to the protesters’ demands.
Isolated farmers and their supporters have occupied roads and toll booths in a number of states with no reported trouble.
Since November, tens of thousands of farmers have been camping on the outskirts of the capital, calling for a repeal of the reforms.
When a similar protest turned violent on January 26, unions vowed any fresh action would be peaceful.
Outside of the capital, major police deployments were ordered in the key farm states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab.
Rakesh Tikait, one of the senior farmers’ leaders, said on Saturday that the protest movement would flow until October 2, the one-year anniversary of the campaign, unless the government repealed the reforms.
“They can put nails on the ground; we will put soil over it and grow flowers. We aren't scared of the barricading or high security. We don't think the police will seal the area. If they do, there are protesters here who can break through all the barricades,” he said.
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