Anti-social elements tried to disrupt protest: Farmers' union

Security tightened at Red Fort, a day after it was stormed by protesting farmers. Pics/PTI/AFP

Farmers' body Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Wednesday alleged "anti-social" elements like actor Deep Sidhu attempted to "torpedo" their peaceful agitation under a conspiracy, but asserted they won't allow "the government and other forces inimical to the peaceful movement to break this struggle".

Farmers watch as police set up road blocks at Singhu border in New Delhi on Wednesday

The morcha, which represents 41 farmer unions, has called an emergency meeting later in the day to decide the future course of action. Referring to the violence during Tuesday's tractor rally, the union body slammed actor Deep Sidhu and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, alleging they attempted to torpedo the farmers' agitation.

In a statement, the Morcha said, "The Union government has been severely shaken by this peasant agitation. Therefore, a dirty conspiracy was hatched with Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and others against the peaceful struggle of other farmer organisations, who had set up their own separate protest site after 15 days of beginning of this farmers' agitation. They were not part of the organisations which jointly undertook the struggle." The Samkyukt Kisan Morcha is leading the protest against the three central farm laws at several border points of Delhi.

"When the farmer organisations declared a programme of Kisan Parade on January 26, antisocial elements like Deep Sidhu and others, along with the said farmer organisation attempted to torpedo the farmers' agitation.

"Under this conspiracy, the said Kisan organisation and other people announced that they would march on Ring Road and unfurl a flag on the Red Fort. As a corollary of conspiracy, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee started marching on the Ring Road, two hours before the scheduled march of the struggling organisations. It was a deep rooted conspiracy to knock down the peaceful and strong farmers' struggle," it said.

The farmers' union body appealed to the farmers to stay on the protest venues and continue their struggle peacefully. "The farmers' organisations resolved to continue this agitation and harshly condemned the government and its administration, the said farmers' organisation and anti-social elements, who tried to damage the peaceful farmers struggle," it said.

‘Buses, five police vehicles damaged'
Six Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and five police vehicles were damaged in the violence that broke out at the ITO during the farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on Republic Day, according to an FIR registered in connection with the incident. It also claimed that several police personnel were injured and 70 iron barricades damaged when over 10,000 protesting farmers on nearly 600 tractors stormed the area.