Indian police and paramilitary forces dug trenches and deployed barbed wire across major roads leading to the federal capital, New Delhi, Monday, to prevent protesting farmers from entering the city.
News agencies also indicated that internet and messaging services were blocked in several neighborhoods in the suburbs near the Indian capital to prevent the angry farmers from storming the capital.
Last week saw violent actions, and security was intensified around Parliament and other important government offices in the central region of New Delhi, and this comes as the Finance Minister prepares to hand over the annual budget to the government in Parliament.
A senior Indian official said the government had strengthened security measures to avoid any clashes or violence when Parliament was in session.
On his part, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday, Sunday, that the farmers who attacked the historic "Red Fort" in New Delhi during their protest against the agrarian reform this week insulted the entire country, as a farmers' convoy turned into a protest that led to violence, on the January 26th, when India celebrated its Republic Day with a military parade, as some demonstrators broke away from a march of tractors and stormed the historic Red Fort complex, after breaking through the barriers and clashing with the police.
Modi's criticism of the protesters comes at a time when they are waiting for a response to their demands to abandon the land reform law, which they consider designed by the government according to the interests of companies specialized in distributing agricultural products.
The "Hindustan Times, an English-spoken daily said that on Tuesday evening, areas in the Indian capital became like a battlefield, due to violence, high tension, and police attempt to disperse the demonstrators by firing teargas canisters, while the demonstrators responded with stones, wielding sticks and metal rods.
Local media reported that some protesters possessed swords.
Follow the latest news on Google News
