India farmers protesting

This item appears on page 5 of the March 2021 issue.

Farmers protesting new regulations in India broke through police barricades and stormed the Red Fort in Delhi on Jan. 26. During the incident, one police officer was killed and at least 80 farmers were injured.

The farmers were granted permission to march along the perimeter of the city as long as they avoided Republic Day celebrations. However, the group quickly broke from their agreed-upon path, marching toward central Delhi and the Parliament building.

Protesting farmers say that the regulations remove essential price controls and make them vulnerable to commercial farming companies that can set lower prices for produce. Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped outside of Delhi since November 2020 calling for a repeal.