At Tikri border, farmers take out a ‘tiranga rally’

At least 394 policemen were injured in violence at different spots in the city during the agitation.

Several farmer unions protesting at the Tikri border took out a “tiranga rally” on Thursday in what they said was an attempt to dispel “myths” allegedly being propagated by the government that protesters at Delhi borders did not respect the Tricolour, while insisting they would not vacate the protest site until their demands were met.

Farmers march with the national flag during the tiranga rally at Tikri border on Thursday. (ANI)

On Tuesday, a group of agitating farmers had stormed Red Fort during the tractor rally organised by farm unions against the three new farm laws and hoisted religious flags.

At least 394 policemen were injured in violence at different spots in the city during the agitation.

One farmer was killed when his tractor rammed into a police barricade and overturned.

Unlike the Singhu border, where a group raised slogans against the farmers and accused them of “disrespecting the national flag”, the Tikri border remained relatively peaceful on Thursday even as security was beefed up by the police at the main entry point.

Pargat Singh, a protester from Ferozpur, said: “The tiranga rally was taken out by the farmers from Punjab and Haryana to condemn what had happened at the Red Fort on Republic Day. We have been constantly saying that those involved in the incident were infiltrators. Farmers like us, who work day and night to ensure that every citizen in the country gets enough food to eat, can never disrespect the national flag.”

Navkiran Natt, another protester at Tikri, alleged: “The government first sent its infiltrators to perform that shameful incident at the Red Fort. Now, it’s trying to stage protests against the farmers and trying to set a narrative that it’s the farmers who had disrespected the national flag. We want to make it clear that we love our national flag and we have nothing to do with what happened at the Red Fort.”

The protesters also said that the police were trying to cut off the protest site to discourage the supporters of the farmers’ movement from visiting them.

Jagmohan Singh, a farmer leader, said, “Some visitors also complained that police did not allow them to enter the protest site.”

A senior police officer, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said that the police were reacting to the violence on Republic Day and ensuring it was not repeated.

Shalini Singh, joint commissioner of police (western range), said that the increased police presence at the Tikri Border was as per an “upgrade” in force deployment.

“The inner roads where people can walk to the protest venue or nearby neighborhoods are still open. The situation is peaceful,” said the officer.

On whether protesters were going back to their villages, Joginder Singh, president of BKU (Ugrahan), a prominent group of protesting farmers, said, “People are spreading rumours. Only those who had come just to participate in the January 26 tractor parade have left. All the other protesters are still here and we will not leave till our demands are met.”