Security upgraded as hundreds of farmer protesters head to Delhi for tractor parade

As hundreds headed to Delhi from neighbouring states for the farmers’ tractor parade on the Republic Day, the Delhi Police on Sunday said it is making tight security arrangements due to inputs about possible attempts to disrupt the rally. Haryana authorities advised people to avoid travelling to the national capital.

n a circular, Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Srivastava directed that all officers and personnel, as well as Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and others, should be prepared for an extended deployment to maintain law and order in the wake of the tractor parade.

While police tried to convince farmer leaders to hold their tractor parade outside the national capital, they were adamant about holding it on Delhi’s busy Outer Ring Road. An agreement was reached during the fourth round of talks on Friday.

In a circular, Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Srivastava directed that all officers and personnel, as well as Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and others, should be prepared for an extended deployment to maintain law and order in the wake of the tractor parade.

Since November 28 last year, farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting against the laws at several Delhi border points, including Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur, and demanding the farm laws be repealed. Thousands of farmers will enter the national capital with tractors on Republic Day as the Delhi Police has given its nod to the tractor parade.

Over two lakh tractors are expected to take part in the parade and there will be around five routes. The tractor parades will be taken out only after 12pm, after the Republic Day parade on Delhi’s Rajpath concludes, according to protesting farmer unions. The tractor parade will start from the Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri border points of Delhi, but the final details of routes are yet to be finalised.