Farmers Movement Archive

Delhi: A pre-planned conspiracy by Centre, say these protesters

NEW DELHI: Farmers protesting at Tikri border on Wednesday claimed that they were not involved in the violence that broke out at Nangloi Chowk on Republic Day and alleged that it was a pre-planned conspiracy by the Centre. Condemning the violence, the farmers said they had always appealed for peace and miscreants had entered the rally to show them in a bad light. When TOI visited Tikri border, not many were willing to speak about the tractor parade. Those who did speak claimed they followed the pre-designated route and did not engage in violence. The protesters even cornered mediapersons claiming they were telling one-sided stories. Bhupinder Singh from Firozpur in Punjab claimed, “We participated in the parade by following the pre-designated route and returned here. Miscreants tried to hamper our peaceful protest.” The same sentiment was echoed by others there. Jagga Singh from Barnala in Punjab alleged, “The violence occurred on the directions of the Centre. We have been protesting here peacefully and have never harmed any police officer or broken barricades, so why would we do that now?” Meanwhile, at Nangloi Chowk, where several vehicles had been damaged a day earlier, police were seen clearing the roads. A crane was removing the boulders that had been placed on the road. The damaged vehicles were a centre of attraction for locals who were seen clicking pictures of the wreckage. Locals who had felicitated the farmers on Tuesday during the tractor parade were disappointed upon seeing the damage. Though none of the shops were damaged, the owners were upset as they had to down their shutters. Akbar, a shopowner, said, “Our shops were closed for the past three days as a precautionary measure. We support our farmer brothers, but on Tuesday we saw cops running for cover. Even we could have been targeted. What happened wasn’t right.” “We had been hearing about the tractor parade for the past few days and were looking forward to it. However, what we saw was unimaginable. The tractors moved in a zigzag manner and could have injured anyone. We saw police rushing towards the registrar office to save themselves. A tractor even rammed a pole. Someone could have died. It was scary and shocking,” said Sandeep Singh, another shopowner.

The Times of India

2021-01-28

Delhi