Deutsche Welle :
Thousands of farmers marched toward the Indian capital of New Delhi on Tuesday to demand higher minimum crop prices and fairer conditions.
Police were seen using tear gas to disperse protesters in Ambala, some 200 kilometers north of the capital.
There were also reports of police dropping tear gas canisters from drones at key chokepoints and detaining some protesters.
Earlier, on Monday, police erected metal and concrete barricades along highways leading to New Delhi and banned public gatherings in the city.
Several farmer unions have called for a ‘Delhi Chalo’, or ‘March to Delhi’ protest, echoing the agitation which began in late 2020 against three farm bills that would have eroded government support for India’s agricultural sector.
The protest lasted over a year with hundreds of protesters killed, and culminated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national government repealing the laws.
They were the largest public disturbances and mass protests faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government since his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power in 2014.
“We tried our best to solve our problems through discussions with the government, but they are insistent on oppressing us,” Sarwan Singh Pandher, a top farmers’ union official from Punjab, told reporters on Tuesday.
Long convoys of tractors gathered on borders between the capital and neighboring Haryana state on Monday.
In response, the police have set up barricades with metal spikes, temporary jails and alternative routes for ambulances, according to local media.
“We do not want to break any barricades. We want a resolution of our issues through dialogue. But if they (the government) do nothing, then what will we do? It is our compulsion,” Pandher said.
News publications Times of India and ANI reported that police tested a tear gas-dropping drone system at Shambhu border near Ambala, north of Delhi, in anticipation of the protests.
Meanwhile the police have banned any public gathering of more than five people in Delhi.
Farmers in India have political heft due to their large numbers. The march scheduled for Tuesday morning comes months before the 2024 general elections in India and could turn into a key election agenda.