New Delhi, October 2: The Delhi Police on Tuesday blamed the agitating farmers who were marching towards the national capital for violence at Delhi- Uttar Pradesh border in Ghaziabad. Justifying their action, the Delhi Police said 'minimum required force' was used after farmers pelted stone at cops and tried to break barricades.

"Despite persuasive methods requesting them to wait till outcome of talks of their leaders with the government, a section of crowd turned violent and tried to break barricades forcefully through tractor-trolleys and were also carrying lathis," read the statement released by the Delhi Police. It further said some police personnel were injured in stone pelting by protesters. Kisan Kranti Padyatra Turns Violent: Farmers Stopped on UP-Delhi Border, Police Use Water Cannons, Tear Gas Shells to Disperse Them; Watch Video.

"Some protestors resorted to stone pelting and wielded lathis causing injuries to police personnel deployed on duty. Under these circumstances, only minimum required force was used to contain these aggressive and violent protestors," said the police. They also claimed that no farmer was seriously injured during the action as per their record.

Police at Delhi- Uttar Pradesh border in Ghaziabad used water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse the agitating farmers who were marching towards Delhi. The farmers, thousands in number, began their agitation on September 23 at Haridwar in Uttarakhand and were moving towards Delhi, many of them on foot, scores sitting atop tractors, buses and raising slogans.

Opposition Targets Modi Government

Following the incident, opposition parties targeted the Modi government, with Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying that the BJP celebrated World Nonviolence Day on Gandhi Jayanti by thrashing farmers. "On International Day of Non-Violence, the BJP's celebrations of Gandhi Jayanti began with the brutal beating of peaceful farmers coming to Delhi," Gandhi tweeted.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the farmers should not be dissuaded from pressing their demands. “Delhi belongs to everyone. Farmers should be allowed to enter Delhi. Why are they not being allowed to enter Delhi? This is wrong. We are with the farmers and their demands,” Kejriwal told news agency ANI.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury called the Modi government as anti-farmers and said the country had not seen an agrarian distress in India ever since Independence. “Instead of providing relief to farmers they are exasperating the crisis further forcing farmers to be under debt burden and distress suicides. We haven't seen such an agrarian distress in India since independence”, he added.

Farmers, government Reached Consensus on Most Demands, Says MoS Agriculture

Meanwhile, the Centre has agreed to majority of the demands raised by the agitating farmers. Speaking to the media, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said a consensus was arrived atafter a meeting between the protesting farmers and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

“Home Minister Rajnath Singh met the farmers’ leaders and discussed their demands. They have reached an agreement on majority of the issues. Farmers’ leaders, Uttar Pradesh ministers Laxmi Narayan ji, Suresh Rana ji and I will go to meet farmers now,” said Shekhawat.

'Unsatisfied' Farmers to Continue Protests

Naresh Tikait, the chief of Bharat Kisan Union (BKU), which  has given the protest call, said the farmers are "not satisfied" with the government's assurance. "We will discuss this and then decide on future course of action. I can't decide anything alone, our committee will take the decision," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 02, 2018 06:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).