Are we a peace-loving country, the world’s largest democracy, or are we Taliban-type warlords?

The morning of the 72nd Republic Day, which saw the sun finally peep through with some glow and warmth after dark and ominous clouds had prevented the sunshine from reaching us for days, was soon plunged into darkness of a different kind. Scenes of chaos and mayhem unfolded on the Capital’s border when, marring the spirit of the august day, the protesting farmers’ tractor rally turned violent as the participants broke barricades, clashed with the Delhi Police, held the streets to ransom and, the shame of it all, hoisted their flag atop the Red Fort after veering off the promised, designated route. The police later used batons to remove them from inside the fort. Outside, an army of tractors took over the Ramlila Maidan, the site where the farmers had originally planned their protest. “We came here to deliver a message to the Modi Government; our job is done. We will go back now,” a farmer said at the Red Fort, adding: “We managed to reach the Red Fort even though they tried to stop us. We will not stop until we reach our goal — the repeal of the three farm laws.” A farmer from Uttarakhand died in an “accident” during the protest at ITO and the Union Home Ministry ordered internet services shut in several areas of Delhi to prevent the spread of rumours, hearsay and misleading news, with Amit Shah taking stock of the situation after the tractor parade violence.

But why did the farmers’ protest, which had largely been peaceful during the past two months while tens of thousands of them camped on Delhi’s borders, suddenly shatter peace and the people’s trust at large? If videos from the shameful incident at the Red Fort are to be believed, a “farmer” who had slithered up a pole to hoist the flag of his union, threw down the Tricolour and reached out instead for the banner of his outfit. Now if this was not an act of hatred and malice, and that too on Republic Day, what is? If anything, these acts of wanton destruction and running amok by the growers would only alienate them and shrink the number of their sympathisers. The farmers forced their way into the Capital much ahead of the promised hour, they deviated from the routes agreed upon, they went back on their word given to the police that they would remain disciplined and peaceful and to the Government to “celebrate” the day and its spirit; now who would dare to defend these “annadatas”? The sad and shameful memories of January 26, which was roughly a repeat version of the Capitol Hill incident of January 6, will continue to haunt Indian democracy for decades to come. It would only be apt for the police, other authorities and the Government to hunt down the last of the goons masquerading as farmers and bring them to book. Hopefully, it will also wash off some of the taint the “real farmers” have been dabbed with in the unfortunate incidents, though they still remain guilty of allowing the hoodlums to infiltrate their ranks and being taken for a ride.