The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Tuesday closed several metro stations as farmers protesting the new agricultural laws broke police barricades and entered the city to start their tractor rally ahead of the scheduled time.

All metro stations on the green line, along with Indraprastha and ITO were closed. Entry and exit gates of Samaypur Badli, Rohini Sector 18/19, Haiderpur Badli Mor, Jahangir Puri, Adarsh Nagar, Azadpur, Model Town, GTB Nagar, Vishwavidyalaya, Vidhan Sabha and Civil Lines were also shut down.

Clashes erupted in several places as police used tear gas on farmers and resorted to baton-charge, saying they deviated from the pre-decided routes for their march in the national Capital. After 12.30 pm, a large group of farmers, in tractors and two-wheelers breached the police barrier placed under ITO flyover on Ring Road. They later reached the iconic Red Fort complex and wave flags.

Farmers in India claim that the new reforms will weaken the minimum support price system, lead to a deregulation of crop pricing and leave them at the mercy of large and private buyers. They have been camped outside Delhi for two months, seeking withdrawal of the laws. The central government maintains that the three laws, passed by Parliament in September, will overhaul outdated procurement procedures for farm produce, give farmers more options for selling their harvest and improve pricing.