It was all chaotic as pandemonium ensued in the national capital after protesting farmers clashed with police at several places and entered Red Fort hoisting their flag. Things went south when hundreds of farmers participating in the tractor rally, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, deviated from pre-decided routes.
With protestors entering central Delhi - ITO - security personnel resorted to lathi-charge and tear gas.
Shalini Singh, Jt CP Nangloi, told news agency ANI that the police appealed to farmers to go by the pre-approved route since morning but some of them broke barricades and attacked personnel.
"Appeal to farmer unions to help maintain peace. This isn't a peaceful protest on Republic Day, "Shalini Singh added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Since morning we had been appealing to farmers to go by pre-approved route but some of them broke police barricades, attacked police personnel. Appeal to farmer unions to help maintain peace. This isn't a peaceful protest on Republic Day: Shalini Singh, Jt CP, in Nangloi, Delhi <a href="https://news.abplive.com/photo-gallery/news/india-police-farmers-clash-pictures-cops-use-tear-gas-lathicharge-as-protesting-farmers-try-to-break-barricades-at-several-points-in-delhi-1441082">pic.twitter.com/zVIw2CaQGB</a></p>— ANI (@ANI) <a >January 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Delhi Police had given permission to farmers protesting the three farm laws to hold their tractor parade on selected routes only after the official Republic Day parade concludes.
IN PICS: Cops Use Tear Gas, Lathicharge As Protesting Farmers Try To Break Barricades At Several Points In Delhi
Police baton-charged farmers at Chintamani Chowk in Shahdara when they broke barricades and smashed windowpanes of cars. PTI reports, a group of 'Nihangs' (traditional Sikh warriors) clashed with security personnel near Akshardham Temple
At Nangloi Chowk in west Delhi and at Mukarba Chowk farmers broke cemented barricades and police used tear gas to disperse them.
An official said police personnel used tear gas to disperse groups of farmers coming from the Singhu border point as they tried to hold a march on the Outer Ring Road much ahead of the allotted time