Farmers and police face off in New Delhi protest

Indian farmers at New Delhi's Singhu border with Haryana state yesterday, protesting against agricultural deregulation laws enacted in September by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that they fear will leave them vulnerable to big business an
Indian farmers at New Delhi's Singhu border with Haryana state yesterday, protesting against agricultural deregulation laws enacted in September by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that they fear will leave them vulnerable to big business and cause them to lose price support for staples. PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW DELHI • India deployed hundreds of police and paramilitary forces at a New Delhi border yesterday as thousands of farmers from neighbouring states blocked major roads into the capital, in a protest against agricultural deregulation.

A day after clashes ended with a deal that the farmers could demonstrate in the capital, tensions rose again over laws that farmers fear could rob them of minimum guaranteed prices for their produce.

Farmers who arrived in trucks, buses and tractors at Delhi's Singhu border with Haryana state on Friday blocked the main northern highway into the capital yesterday morning, chanting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and waving the red, yellow and green flags of farmers' unions.

They appeared ready for a long sit-in and refused to relocate to a designated protest site, raising fears of fresh clashes between security forces and protesters.

On Friday, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesters before letting them march into the capital and stage a protest at a designated site.

Both security forces and farmers have installed barricades to prevent a repeat of Friday's clashes.

Mr Harbhajan Singh, 75, from Amritsar in the northern farming state of Punjab, said he and others were carrying provisions and were prepared to camp out.

"We have been harassed by the government. We want a special Parliament session for withdrawal of the new farm laws," he said, adding that he hopes farmers from other states will join the protests.

Opposition Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi also slammed the government.

"Our slogan was 'Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer', but today PM Modi's arrogance made the soldier stand against the farmer. This is very dangerous," Mr Gandhi tweeted in reaction to a photo of a policeman attempting to hit a farmer with a baton.

Mr Modi's laws, enacted in September, allow farmers to sell their produce freely, including to big corporate buyers, and not just at government-regulated wholesale markets. But many small growers worry they will be left vulnerable to big business and could lose price supports for key staples like wheat.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on November 29, 2020, with the headline Farmers and police face off in New Delhi protest. Subscribe