Kathmandu. January 26. As India celebrates its 72nd Republic day, an estimated mass of 5,000 farmers with their tractors entered Delhi forcefully on Tuesday morning and demonstrated against the new farming laws.

Responding to knocking down the barricades, the police cracked down on the farmers with batons and tear gases. The clash was a result of farmers who disobeyed their agreement and began marching before the allowed time of 12 pm and deviated from the permitted route of the pre-planned “Kisaan Parade”. 

Delhi police reported that several policemen sustained injuries during the clash and a police bus was also hijacked by the protestors.

Farmers believe that the controversial law adopted by the government would lead to the scrapping of the minimum support price (MSP) – the price at which the government buys farm produce –and the farmers would be left at the mercy of corporate dealers. The farmers and their produce account for 15% of the country’s economy.

Agitated by the new laws passed, more than half a million farmers have already participated in the mass protests since November. Two of the farmers have committed suicide hoping that their death would bring success to the farmer’s movement. More than 60 farmers have already died due to hypothermia during the street protest.

Modi and his allies have defended the controversial laws and accused opposition parties of misleading the farmers. His government says the new laws will bring much-needed private investment to the crisis-hit agricultural sector.