1:30 pm: I step out of my house around 1:30 pm to walk down to the Ring Road from where the protest chants are getting louder. What is meant to be a curious stroll to witness the ‘Tractor Rally’ by protesting farmers will turn into a trek to Red Fort to watch violence unfold at one of the most iconic monuments of Delhi.
Standing opposite Metcalfe House on Ring Road, I witness an unending procession of tractors, cars, SUVs and bikes. Not to mention cycles and walking protestors. For an hour or so, the sloganeering, the songs, and vehicular noise drowns any other experience on the road. The din shakes the sleepy neighbourhood of Civil Lines awake. What is remarkable about the processions is that there is absolutely no problem on the roads. The traffic is largely streamlined. I see organisers making way for an ambulance.
Walking with some protestors, I learn that all of them are coming from Singhu Border and the plan is to go to Red Fort to assert their presence by unfurling Nishan…