In India’s capital, farmers’ violent protest spurs heavy security presence
- The unrest, which left one farmer dead, marked a dramatic escalation in a stand-off between the government and thousands of protesting farmers
- On Wednesday, major roads were blocked by police and security forces set up barricades as riot police were stationed near New Delhi’s Red Fort
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One dead as thousands of farmers storm India’s Red Fort
The violence marked a dramatic escalation in a stand-off between the government and thousands of farmers camped out on the outskirts of the city since late November.
The farmers, mostly from northern Indian states including Punjab, want new agricultural reforms scrapped that they fear will leave them at the mercy of big corporations.
On Tuesday – during the annual Republic Day parade – convoys of farmers on tractors smashed through barricades to converge on the city centre, seeing off police baton charges and volleys of tear gas.
One farmer was killed in what police said was an accident after his tractor overturned after hitting a barricade. At least 86 police were injured, an official statement said.