(27 Jan 2021) Tens of thousands of protesting farmers drove long lines of tractors into India's capital on Tuesday, breaking through police barricades, defying tear gas and storming the historic Red Fort as the nation celebrated Republic Day.
They waved farm union and religious flags from the ramparts of the fort, where prime ministers annually hoist the national flag to mark the country's independence.
Thousands more farmers marched on foot or rode on horseback while shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At some places, they were showered with flower petals by residents who recorded the unprecedented rally on their phones.
Police said one protester died after his tractor overturned, but farmers said he was shot.
Television channels showed several bloodied protesters.
Leaders of the farmers said more than 10,000 tractors joined the protest.
For nearly two months, farmers - many of them Sikhs from Punjab and Haryana states - have camped at the edge of the capital, blockading highways connecting it with the country’s north in a rebellion that has rattled the government.
They are demanding the withdrawal of new laws which they say will commercialise agriculture and devastate farmers' earnings.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
