A day after clashes during the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) Parliament march put central Delhi on high alert, the Capital witnessed another day of heavy security deployment on Tuesday as farmers attempting to reach Kisan Ghat for a proposed Kisan Mahapanchayat were stopped at Delhi’s borders and dispersed before they could assemble.

While thousands of farmers gathered at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana and at other entry points leading to Delhi, Kisan Ghat, where the Mahapanchayat against the proposed India-US trade deal was scheduled to be held, remained largely deserted, with only police and paramilitary personnel deployed across the area. Haryana Police sealed the Shambhu border with barricades and concrete blocks, preventing farmers from entering Delhi.

Around Raj Ghat, buses were stationed along roads near the Gandhi Darshan entrance. Police personnel said the vehicles were being used to transport farmers who managed to reach central Delhi.

“Those who somehow reach the Raj Ghat area are being taken in buses and dropped outside the central Delhi zone,” a police official told The Tribune.

A paramilitary officer deployed in the area said more than 10 buses had been stationed for the exercise. According to the officer, over 500 farmers arrived in small groups near Raj Ghat during the day but were detained, put on buses and dropped at locations including Bawana and Burari.

Officials said the Raj Ghat-Kisan Ghat stretch remained closed to the public until 4 pm, with security personnel continuing to guard the area even after restrictions were lifted to prevent any fresh mobilisation.

Police officials said the farmers had not been granted permission to hold the proposed march or assemble at Kisan Ghat and the extensive deployment was aimed at ensuring they did not mobilise in the national capital.

The officials also acknowledged that the deployment was influenced by Monday’s violence during the CJP protest, as well as lessons drawn from the 2021-22 farmers’ agitation, when thousands of protesters camped at Delhi’s borders for more than a year.

The Kisan Mahapanchayat, organised under the banner of the Desh Bachao Morcha, was called to protest the proposed India-US trade agreement. Farmer organisations contend that the proposed pact could expose Indian agriculture and the dairy sector to cheaper imports and adversely affect farmers' livelihoods.