Violence erupted across India’s capital city of New Delhi on Tuesday when thousands of farmers protesting the government’s agricultural reform bills rode tractors past police barriers and clashed with officers.
Farmers unions had devised a plan for a peaceful march into the capital on Republic Day, which commemorates the signing of India’s constitution. The Indian government had approved a plan for the farmers — who have been protesting for months — to enter the city at noon. But the farmers’ plans went awry when some protesters began marching toward the capital a few hours ahead of schedule, resulting in a face-off with police, who used tear gas and batons to try to turn them back.
As the farmers abandoned approved routes, fierce battles broke out across the city. One farmer was crushed when his tractor was among the many vehicles overturned in the melee. Reports indicate that at least 19 people involved in the clashes were sent to two New Delhi hospitals. According to police, at least 86 officers were also injured.
In a statement, Eish Singal of the New Delhi police said the protesters broke the agreements made before the rally. “The farmers began tractor rally before the scheduled time, they also resorted to violence and vandalism.”
The farmers, many of whom are Sikhs from India’s Punjab and Haryana states, also entered New Delhi’s historic Red Fort and raised the Nishan Sahib, a flag of importance to India’s Sikh communities.
The Joint Farmers’ Front, which represents a number of Indian farmers unions, issued a statement Tuesday condemning the clashes and separating themselves from protesters who engaged in violence. “We condemn and regret the undesirable and unacceptable events that have taken place today and dissociate ourselves from those indulging in such acts,” the statement read.
The statement also said that the unions had made efforts to keep the events peaceful but “some organizations and individuals have violated the route and indulged in condemnable acts.”
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who represents Punjab, where many of the farmers are from, wrote on Twitter that the violence was “unacceptable” and urged “all genuine farmers to vacate Delhi and return to the borders,” referring to the areas on the outskirts of Delhi where the farmers have been camped for weeks in protest.