A policeman was attacked with a sword in Delhi in clashes during a farmers' tractor protest that went rogue on Tuesday.
The farmers were led by Nihangs equipped with swords and kirpans as the charged at the police and broke through barricades, the Delhi Police has said in its First Information Report (FIR) on the clashes.
Delhi Police say over 300 policemen were injured in clashes with protesters who defied agreements and took their tractor rally to the centre of Delhi on Republic Day.
"The Additional DCP Central's operator was attacked with a sword at ITO on Tuesday during the violence," the police said, according to news agency ANI. The incident took place just outside the Delhi Police headquarters at ITO, a key intersection in Delhi.
The operator, Sandeep, was quoted as telling news agency ANI: "Many violent people reached Red Fort suddenly. Drunken farmers or whoever they were, attacked us suddenly with swords, lathis, and other weapons." He said the situation was worsening and it was "too difficult" to control the violent crowd.
"On January 26, 2021 at about 8.30 am, about 6,000-7,000 tractors had assembled at Singhu borders and they were to reach up to Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar and take a right turn. Instead of the agreed upon route, they insisted upon going to Central Delhi and despite persuasion by Delhi Police, the farmers led by Nihangs on their horses fully equipped with deadly weapons like swords, kripans and farsas (axe) charged the police and broke several layers of barricades, which were erected between Mukarba Chowk and Transport Nagar," said the police in the FIR.
Among the videos circulating online, one shows a protester armed with a sword chasing policemen.
A special investigation team of the Delhi Police Crime Branch is likely to investigate the incident.
(With inputs from ANI)
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