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Tourism minister Prahlad Patel visits Red Fort, condemns action of farmers
Prahlad Patel met officers from the Archaeological Survey of India, who briefed him on the extent of the damage caused to the monument
Union tourism and culture minister Prahlad Patel visited the Red Fort on Wednesday to take stock of the situation and assess the damage caused there a day after protesting farmers stormed the iconic monument.
“Patel met officers from the Archaeological Survey of India. They briefed him on the extent of the harm caused...,” said an official aware of the matter.
Also Read: Many Delhi routes restricted day after farmers’ tractor rally violence
Patel on Tuesday condemned the farmers’ march to the Red Fort. “The Red Fort is a symbol of our democracy,” Patel wrote on Twitter. “The agitators should have stayed away from the Red Fort. I condemn this violation of its dignity. It’s sad and unfortunate.”
The national capital descended into chaos as thousands of farmers protesting against the three laws passed in September to reform the agriculture sector on Tuesday stormed into the monument after breaking barricades and driving tractors through roadblocks.
The protesting farmers were to take a tractor rally through three designated routes in Delhi on day 62 of their protest against the laws. One of the farmer groups from the Ghazipur protest site deviated from the agreed-upon route and reached ITO, where they ran riot. Another group from Singhu border stormed the Red Fort, where one of the protesters climbed the first available flag post and hoisted the Nishan Sahib, the flag of the Sikhs.
A violent clash with policemen trying to disperse them followed.
