Delhi-Cate Moment

The moral high ground of the farmers’ movement of being peaceful and disciplined was lost in a few hours on Republic Day. The unions will now have to fight hard to win back the trust of the farmers and people

- Pratul Sharma

Republic Day celebrations in Delhi bring both national fervour and tight security arrangements that turn the city into a fortress. On January 26, both were breached. In a shocking turn of events, many groups of farmers, who had been protesting the new farm laws on the borders of the state for more than two months, stormed into the heart of the capital and hoisted the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh religious flag, at the Red Fort, the symbolic seat of power. The farmers had been allowed to hold a tractor rally on police-approved routes on Republic Day.

The farmer unions’ demand for the repeal of three farm laws had been gathering support from across the country. But the moral high ground of the movement being peaceful and disciplined was lost in a few hours of violence. And the leadership of the joint command of union leaders seems to have been weakened.

With the use of Sikh symbols, the movement now has a stronger religious colour, and the acrobatics atop the ramparts of the Red Fort, where prime ministers hoist the tricolour every year, have made the accusations of anti-nationalism louder.

The police were ill-prepared, despite intelligence reports that fringe elements could provoke violence. And it has tarnished the Narendra Modi government’s strong governance image. The Delhi Police are under the Union home ministry. It was the second occasion of mass violence in less than a year in the capital city. In February 2020, communal violence rocked the northeastern part of the city for three days.