While a section of the protesting farmers broke barricades and chaos unfurled at the Singhu and Tikri borders, students and Delhiites waited to welcome the peaceful tractor rally that had been allowed inside Delhi after the Republic Day parade was over.
A Facebook group, Students for Farmers, which was formed to support the farmers' rally, gathered at Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar to support the Tractor Parade. "We do not associate with the farmers who were involved in the chaos. A protest of this magnitude will always have people of different ideologies. We are in support of the peaceful rally that will pass from here," said Harish, one of the students at the gathering who is also a member of the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS). "Students without any political affiliation are also here with placards and posters. We are expecting more people to join us. Right now we have about 40 people here. We will march along with the farmers," added Prithviraj, a student of Delhi University.
Various other organisations also called for lending support to the farmers. Students gathered at the Dichaon Kalan Bus Stop, Najafgarh. "We are around 70 people here. We have put up posters and banners welcoming the farmers in Delhi. We are even preparing for a flower shower for them," said Suchita De, a former member of All India Students' Association (AISA). "We will walk with the farmers as they fight for their rights," she added.
AISA activists along with students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Ambedkar University Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia, workers and Women movement activists and residents of Delhi have also gathered at Swaroop Nagar for the tractor parade coming from the Singhu Border.
