Important to respect peaceful protests, non-violence: UN chief's spokesman on farmers' stir
United Nations, Jan 27: In the wake of violence and clashes between farmers and police in India, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said it is important to respect peaceful protests, freedom of assembly and non-violence.
Tuesday's tractor parade in New Delhi, which was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal three new agri laws, dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the city as tens of thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.
The Delhi Police has registered 22 FIRs so far in connection with the violence that broke out during the farmers' tractor parade, leaving over 300 policemen injured. One person died in the incident.
Secretary-General Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric, in his response to a question on the violence in New Delhi during his daily press briefing on Tuesday, said: As we say in many of these cases, I think it's important to respect peaceful protests, freedom of assembly and non-violence .
The Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 41 farmer unions, is leading the protest against the three central farm laws at several border points of Delhi.
The Kisan Morcha has disassociated itself from those who indulged in violence during the tractor parade and alleged that some "antisocial elements" infiltrated their otherwise peaceful movement.
It has called a meeting later on Wednesday to discuss the violence that broke out during the farmers' tractor parade in the national capital.
Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at several Delhi border points, including Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, since November 28, demanding a complete repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price for their crops.
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If not in politics, would have probably done entrepreneurship in aerospace: Rahul Gandhi
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that if he was not in politics, he would probably be doing some entrepreneurship in the aerospace world.
Rahul was responding to a query during a dialogue with the Information Technology (IT) Fraternity at Technopark here.
He said he has been defined as a politician by many, but he actually does a lot of other things.
Rahul, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said he was of the view that calling someone a politician, technocrat, techie or engineer were "constricting definitions".
"If I was not working for a political organisation, I would probably be doing some entrepreneurship, probably in the aerospace world. I am a pilot, so was my father and also my uncle. So, we have that little strain," he said.
"We should be curious about everything. You should have an open mind to everything and that is when you start to connect the dots," the LoP, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, added.
VIDEO | Trivandrum, Kerala: During interaction with IT professionals, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) says, "If not in politics would have done entrepreneurship in aerospace, I am a pilot, so was my father."
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 7, 2026
(Full video available on… pic.twitter.com/WVYMpGkQmi
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