The Centre on Wednesday told the Parliament that the farmers’ protest has caused inconvenience to the people of Delhi and its neighbouring states.

“Delhi Police has informed that Gazipur, Chilla, Tikri and Singhu borders of National Capital are blocked by agitating farmers and it is inconvenient to the residents of Delhi and neighbouring States,” Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said in a written reply to Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai’s questions in the Rajya Sabha.

Reddy added: “In any agitation, there is financial loss incurred by people and Governments.”

The Union minister also told the Parliament that the protestors resorted to rioting, damaging public property and clashing with policemen. “Delhi Police has informed that at Delhi border, large convoys of protesting farmers in tractor trolleys tried to furiously force their way and go past police barricades to enter Delhi to mark their protest against the recently enacted Farm Laws,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

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Reddy added that the police were left with no option but to use water cannons and tear gas to control the protestors during the Republic Day tractor rally. He also pointed out that the protestors had not been following coronavirus-related safety guidelines like wearing masks and observing physical distancing.

The Shiv Sena MP had asked the Centre whether Delhi’s borders were blocked by the protestors and if that was causing inconvenience to the residents. He also asked the government what steps it had taken to vacate the Capital’s borders.

The police have clamped down on farmers’ protest sites in the aftermath of the violence during the Republic Day tractor rally. Multi-layered barricading and barbed wires were put up at the border points, where the farmers have been camping for over two months. They have been demanding that the agricultural laws be repealed.

The crackdown on the farmers’ peaceful agitation has sparked international outrage. Pop star Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg are among those who have expressed support for the farmers.