Prepared if rally extends by a day, will ensure farmers stick to the plan: Cops

NEW DELHI: Only 5,000 farmers on 5,000 tractors will be allowed into Delhi for the tractor rally scheduled for Tuesday, according to the terms and conditions mentioned in the no-objection certificate (NOC) issued by the police on Monday, but the police said practically all tractors joining the rally will be allowed to enter the Capital.

Though the police also wanted the rally to end by 5pm on Tuesday — within five hours of its start at 12pm — officers said they are prepared to deal with a situation in which the rally spills over into the next day.

After series of meetings between the farm leaders and the police over the past one week, the two sides have agreed upon three routes for the rally.

The official limit on the number of tractors and participants, and the hours of operation, was in sharp contrast to the police’s announcement at a press conference on Sunday, when senior police officers had indicated there was no limit on the number of tractors and up to five farmers would be allowed on one tractor.

The police had also said the rally would be expected to end by Tuesday itself if there were just about 30,000 tractors. Farmer leaders, however, have maintained the tractor count would be over 200,000 and the rally could go on for 48 hours.

Dependra Pathak, special commissioner of Delhi Police’s intelligence unit, said as per the agreement with the farmers, only 5,000 tractors with just one person on each vehicle are permitted, but the “police will facilitate” the farmers. “We’ll ensure their safety, security and movement,” said Pathak.

Another senior police officer, who didn’t want to be identified, said the police are still appealing to the farmers to maintain the mandated limit on the number of vehicles. “Our aim is to ensure that the tractors return to the border point by evening. But we won’t stop tractors beyond the 5,000 count,” said the officer.

According to the same officer, the count of tractors on the city’s borders as of Monday evening had crossed 27,000. “At most, it will go up to 40,000. If it reaches the upper limit, the rally could spill into Wednesday, but we are prepared for it,” said the officer.

Farmer leaders, meanwhile, said all tractors that join the rally would enter Delhi. “There is no limit on the number of tractors or the number of participants. The rally could go on for 48 hours, depending on how long the tractors take to return to the border” said Rajinder Singh, vice president of Kirti Kisan Union.

As per the document, the farmers will have to arrange 2,500 volunteers and some traffic marshals to coordinate with the police on the ground.

Farmers are required to bring their own drinking water, medical aid and firefighting equipment.