FROM FARM TO DELHI, PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT

NEW DELHI Clashes broke out between farmers and police in the heart of India's capital as a wave of protesters entered Delhi on tractors in a fresh challenge to the country's leadership.

The unprecedented rally was meant as a show of strength by the farmers, who have spent two months camped outside the city to oppose new agricultural laws that they consider a threat to their livelihoods.

But the demonstration turned violent as some farmers forced their way toward the centre of the city, taking over a major intersection and climbing the ramparts of Delhi's famed Red Fort.

After farmers broke through barricades, police fired tear gas canisters and beat protesters with sticks. A major confrontation unfolded near India's Supreme Court, where farmers threw stones and drove tractors toward police personnel. One farmer died in what police called an accident, New Delhi Television reported.