Farmers Protest: Over 100 Police Injured, 22 FIRs Booked

As many as 22 FIRs were booked against protesting farmers in connection with their tractor rally yesterday in the national capital on Republic Day. The latest FIR is registered at the IP Police Station in connection with the violence that broke out during yesterday’s farmers’ tractor rally at ITO in the national capital. With this, the total number of FIRs rose to 22, said the Delhi Police on Wednesday.

The fresh case has been registered against unknown protestors, including the farmer who died after his tractor overturned after ramming into a barricade.

Delhi Police had on Tuesday released CCTV footage showing a protesting farmer dying after a tractor rammed into barricades and overturned at ITO. According to sources in the Delhi Police, the process of filing the FIRs started last night and “over 100 Delhi Police personnel were injured during the farmers’ tractor violence at different locations in the national capital.”

“The first task is to register criminal cases in each incident of violence and hence multiple FIRs will be filed. Once an FIR is filed then the process of identifying the suspects will start. Conspiracy to carry out violence needs to back with evidence which will include CDR analysis, witnesses statement,” a source told ANI. Traffic and metro services continue to remain affected post farmers’ tractor rally violence.

Meanwhile, heavy security has been deployed near the Red Fort where a group of protestors entered the fort and unfurled their flags from its ramparts yesterday. Farmers broke barricades to enter Delhi and indulged in vandalism across several parts of the national capital during their Kisan tractor rally organised to protest against the Centre’s three new farm laws. Several public and private properties being damaged in acts of vandalism by the rioting mob.

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Meanwhile, Kisan unions have disdained from the violence that broke out during protest. They made it clear that the violence was not act of farmers and they suspected infiltration of some anti-social forces.