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Indian Farmers Clash with Police as They Protest New Laws

Anjana Pasricha

   NEW DELHI - Police fired tear gas and used water cannons Friday as
   thousands of farmers from northern India marched to protest new laws
   that the government says will revolutionize the farm sector but which
   farmers fear will expose them to exploitation by big corporations.

   Scuffles erupted on the outskirts of New Delhi as angry farmers pressed
   against heavily guarded concrete barricades set up along the city's
   border to stop the marchers. Waving flags and shouting slogans, some
   tried to remove the barriers.

   Many farmers have traveled on their tractors and motorcycles from the
   northern farming state of Punjab, vowing to camp in the Indian capital
   until the government amends the recent laws.

   It was the second day that farmers clashed with police. On Thursday
   security personnel used water cannons on farmers as they traveled
   through neighboring Haryana state to reach Delhi.

   Hours after the farmers demanded to know why they were not being
   allowed to protest, police announced that they would be allowed to
   enter the city.

   Criticizing the use of what he called "brute force," Punjab Chief
   Minister Amarinder Singh said the government should initiate "immediate
   talks to address farmers' concerns on the farm laws and resolve the
   simmering issue."

   The contentious legislation, passed in September, aims to reform
   decades-old laws under which farmers mostly sell their produce through
   state-run wholesale markets at prices set by the government and paves
   the way for them to sell their produce to private companies.

   Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the new laws as "historic"
   and said they will increase farmers' incomes, boost productivity and
   liberate farmers from dependence on middlemen. Supporters of the
   legislation say it could draw in private investment and help modernize
   Indian agriculture.

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