At least one protesting farmer has died and several police officers were injured during clashes in the Indian capital city of New Delhi, the police said on Tuesday
NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) At least one protesting farmer has died and several police officers were injured during clashes in the Indian capital city of New Delhi, the police said on Tuesday.
Indian law enforcement officers have barricaded the city for celebrations marking the 72nd Republic Day but failed to prevent protesting farmers from entering the city. Indian farmers have been protesting for several months now against three new legislation that they fear will drive their revenues down by revoking state-assured pricing safeguards.
Video footage provided y the police shows a blue tractor ramming through the barricades at high speed and cascading several times. According to unverified information, the truck belonged to a 26-year-old man who came from the state of Uttarakhand in northern India to take part in the protest.
Several police officers also sustained injuries during clashes with protesters in New Delhi's ITO area. The law enforcement officers used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
New Delhi has been the epicenter of protests since the government passed the controversial legislation last September. The legislation intends to give farmers the freedom to set prices for what they produce and trade directly with private businesses without the government's Agricultural Produce Market Committee acting as middleman.
While shorter supply chains are generally considered a positive thing, the Indian regulator also used to supervise the supply-demand balance. Farmers now fear that corporate buyers will take advantage of the free-fall supply and the annulment of government-assured minimum prices to keep them as low as possible.
