Farmers protests: Why were people allowed in Red Fort, asks Rahul Gandhi; 'only solution is to repeal laws'

Violence broke out at the Singhu border protest site after large groups of people claiming to be locals reached there to vacate the area, leading to a clash between them and agitating farmers and prompting police to resort to baton charge and use tear gas shells. 

Thousands of protesting farmers had clashed with the police during the tractor rally called by farmer unions on January 26 to highlight their demand for the repeal of the Centre's three farm laws. Many of the protesters, driving tractors, reached the Red Fort and entered the monument. Some protesters even hoisted religious flags on its domes and the flagstaff at the ramparts, where the national flag is unfurled by the prime minister on Independence Day. 

Here are the highlights:

5.30 pm: Narendra Modi ji, Yogi Adityanath ji and all others must listen carefully, farmers will not go back from this movement, humiliated and defamed: Yogendra Yadav, Swaraj Party, at a farmers' rally at Delhi-UP border.

5.15: Govt must talk to farmers & arrive at a solution. The only solution is to repeal laws & put them in a wastebasket. Govt must not think farmers will go home. My concern is that this situation will spread. But, we don't need that, we need a solution. Why were people allowed in the Red Fort? Why weren't they stopped? Ask the Home Minister what the objective was, of letting those people inside the premises: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

4.50 pm: SHO Alipur, Delhi intervened between rioting protestors (MKSC faction) local Singhu villagers, who had gone to register their protest against happenings on Republic Day and continued loss of ordinary livelihoods for over two months. SHO suffered grievous injuries on his hand: Delhi Police

4.20 pm: A group of people gather at Tikri border demanding that the area be vacated.

#WATCH | Delhi: A group of people gather at Tikri border demanding that the area be vacated. pic.twitter.com/llBC6Q7g5f — ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2021

4.10 pm: Watch--A group claiming to be locals gather at Singhu border demanding that the area be evacuated. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Group of people claiming to be locals gather at Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana border) demanding that the area be vacated. pic.twitter.com/AHGBc2AuXO — ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2021

4 pm: The locals demanded that the farmers vacate the Singhu border protest site as they had "insulted" the national flag during their tractor parade on Republic Day. Armed with sticks, the group of locals reached the site and asked the farmers to leave while raising slogans against them. Both sides also pelted stones at each other.

3.45 pm: The protestors at the Singhu border, much of which is barred for entry from outside, were coming out in numbers to resist the locals. However, they were promptly stopped by farmer union volunteers which helped the situation from turning ugly. "They are not locals but hired goons. They were throwing stones, petrol bombs at us. They attempted to burn down our trolleys also. We are here to resist them. We won't leave the place," said Harkirat Mann Beniwal, 21, from Punjab's Khana district.

3.30 pm: Delhi Police SHO (Alipur) Pradeep Paliwal was injured in the violence after a man attacked him with a sword, an official said, adding that some people were also wounded. The official said that police detained the man who attacked the station house officer.