R-Day violence: Delhi Police seeks answers from Sanyukt Kisan Morcha organiser

New Delhi [India], January 28 : Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Chinmoy Biswal on Wednesday wrote to the organiser of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, Darshan Pal, urging him to answer why action should not be taken against him and his allies for breaking an agreement regarding the protest routes on Republic Day.
The reply has been sought within the next three days.
Biswal wrote in the letter, "You, along with other farmer organisations had agreed to conduct the Tractor Rally along the designated three routes, viz., i) Tikri border point -about 74 kms, ii) Singhu border point - about 63 kms, and iii) Ghazipur border point - about 68 kms."
"You had signed terms and conditions for the said Tractor rally, which was agreed to by all farmer organisations. Some of these conditions were as follows: the Tractor Parade will remain completely peaceful; it will start at 12 noon, after the flypast at Rajpath, and end by 5 pm; the tractor parade will be led by important leaders of Sanyukta Kisan Morcha in the vehicle in the front; leaders of different Jathas would be available in the route immediately before their Jatha; total number of tractors participating in the rally would be 5,000; no arms, ammunition or any kind of weapons would be carried by the participants in the rally; there would not be participation by any kind of animals in the rally; there would not be any trolley in the Tractor Rally," the letter added.
Biswal further wrote that despite the mutually decided terms and conditions for the rally, the farmer leaders acted irresponsibly by bringing forward tractors at the borders on the night of January 25 and letting the militant elements make provocative speeches right from the early hours of January 26.
Biswal pointed out that the farmer leaders had agreed that the number of tractors would be restricted to 5,000 during the protests but they were much higher than that number.
Biswal also pointed out that the most reprehensible act was performed by the Kisan Sanyukt Morcha and other supporters at the Red Fort.
"The protestors climbed this ASI protected monument and vandalised the whole area and put the religious flag on this national monument. Flags of various farmer organisations were also recovered from the Red Fort premises. The vandalisation of the Red Fort on the Republic Day was the most deplorable and an anti-national act," Biswal wrote.
Darshan Pal has been directed to provide the names of the perpetrators of violent acts in the national capital within three days.
Nineteen people have so far been arrested and over 25 criminal cases registered by Delhi Police in connection with the violence that broke out during the farmers' tractor march on Tuesday, Police Commissioner (CP) SN Shrivastava said on Wednesday.