Following the violence by the protesters at several places across the city, the Delhi Police said the protesting farmers violated the conditions pre-agreed for their tractor parade and resorted to violence and vandalism, leaving 107 police personnel injured.
In a statement, police also claimed the force did all due diligence in following the conditions for the rally, but the protesters began their march much ahead of the scheduled time and extensive damage to public property was caused.
Police statement came as the national Capital witnessed violent scenes during a tractor parade by farmers who entered the city in their tractors from different points to press for their demand of repealing the three new agri laws.
According to Dr Eish Singhal, the Public Relation Officer (PRO) of Delhi Police, the protesters violated conditions fixed for the rally. “The farmers began tractor rally before scheduled time, they also resorted to violence and vandalism. We followed all conditions as promised and did our due diligence but the protest led to extensive damage to public property. Many policemen were also injured during the protest,” said Dr Singhal.
Thousands of protesting farmers, wielding sticks and clubs and holding the tricolour and union flags, atop tractors broke barriers, clashed with police and entered the city from various points to lay siege to the Red Fort and climb the flagpole on Republic Day on Tuesday.
If police used teargas shells to disperse the restive crowds in some places, hundreds of farmers in ITO were seen chasing them with sticks and ramming their tractors into parked buses. A protester died after his tractor overturned.