A group of farmers from Tamil Nadu, including a woman, staged a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, demanding better prices for their crops and highlighting concerns over the river interlinking issue. The demonstration saw some farmers attempting to climb onto a mobile tower, prompting police intervention and the use of a fire brigade crane to bring them safely down.
According to officials, a huge number of Tamil Nadu farmers gathered at Jantar Mantar to voice their grievances. Some protesters attempted to climb nearby trees and a mobile tower, which led to police action to prevent any accidents or harm.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu farmers climbed atop mobile tower as they protest protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over their various demands pic.twitter.com/JKnttSYMeX
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2024
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla confirmed the incident, stating, “Around 50 people gathered for river interlinking. Two of them attempted to climb a mobile tower but were eventually brought back to the ground. Others also attempted to climb trees in the vicinity.”
The protesting farmers, that have been estimated to be around 100, emphasized their demands during the demonstration. They sought a doubling of their income from the agricultural produce, a pension of Rs 5,000, individual insurance coverage, and the interlinking of all rivers across India.
Expressing their determination, the farmers stated that if their demands were not met, they would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Varanasi constituency.
Responding to the incident, a senior official of the Delhi Fire Services revealed that they received a distress call about the protest and promptly deployed sky lifts to safely remove the farmers from the mobile tower.
