The 2021 Farmers' Republic Day protest was a protest on 26 January 2021 at Delhi. Part of the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest. The protestors deviated from the parade to take the parade towards Red Fort. The protest took place on the 72nd Republic Day against the decision by Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to implement three farm acts.
The decision to hold the parade with tractors and marching contingents in Delhi was announced on 2 January 2021 by the leadership of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). The date of 26 January 2021 was chosen, according to the SKM leaders, because it coincided with the two-month anniversary of the farmers' protest and because "the Republic Day represents the supremacy of the people".
On 26 January, tens of thousands of the farmers protesting agricultural reforms drove a convoy of tractors, earlier than the allotted time, to start the tractor rally into New Delhi. The farmers drove on prohibited routes in long lines of tractors, riding horses or marching on foot. However, a section of the tractor rally turned violent as the protesting farmers clashed with the police. Some of the protesters deviated from their pre-sanctioned routes permitted by Delhi Police and breached the barricades. Some protesters reached central Delhi and resorted to vandalism and damage to public property. Other protestors reached the Red Fort and hoisted the Nishan Sahib (a Sikh religious flag) and farmer union flags on the mast on the rampart of the Red Fort.
As of 28 January, the Delhi Police stated that it has filed various criminal cases over the incidents of violence and had arrested several people. More than 300 police personnel were injured in the violence by protesters, who used batons and sharp weapons. The violence and hoisting of a religious flag on the ramparts of the Red Fort led to the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) and the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan withdrawing from the farmers' protest.
On 7 January 2021, Samyukt Kisan Morcha organized the dress rehearsal of Kisan-parade for 26 January 2021 on the 270 kilometres long Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway that rings Delhi. 5000 tractors participated in the tractor-trolley parade held between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. IST. The 'parade' had four columns, each with its own start point, which were: Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur, and Rewasan. A fifth farmers' column, with start point Dhansa, was added on the morning on 7 January. Each column is under a leader, with volunteers to ensure good order, after traversing the designated route and distance returned to the start point by evening. The tractor-trolley-parade was the cause of much enthusiasm and was deemed a success by the organizers. The farmers' tractor columns from Ghazipur and Palwal were mainly from Uttar Pradesh (UP), Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh (MP), and farmers in the columns from Singhu, Tikri, and Dhansa, were mostly from Punjab, and Haryana. The rehearsal-parade passed without major incident. There were, however minor skirmishes between farmers and policemen in Bulandshahr and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Iraj Raja, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Ghaziabad said no permission was sought for the rally but "the administration was in no mood of confrontation as long as there is no law-and-order problem." The farmers' column from Rewasan, Nuh district, was prevented from participating by the police. Its leader Ramzan Chaudhary, president of All-India Mewati Samaj, was detained on 7 January by Narendra Bijarniya, Superintendent of Police of Nuh district.
Simultaneous Kisan parades were also held in many districts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, as well as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The Indian government had expressed apprehensions before the Supreme Court over what it says is a continued "Khalistani infiltration" in the farmers' protests, pointing out the role of outlawed secessionist groups like Sikhs for Justice. The government alleged that such groups had been using the protests as a cover for collecting money for their causes. The farmers, and their unions, have been accused by government and sections of the media of links with hostile foreign powers such as Pakistan and China of harbouring Naxalites, terrorists, Khalistanis and anti-nationals. It also alleged that the farmers were unable to comprehend the many virtues of the farm bills and the protests to be a front for opposition political parties such as the Indian National Congress. Ravi Shankar Prasad, then the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who was a member of the Government delegation engaged in talks with the farmers, were among the ruling party members who made such allegations.
The Government had opposed the farmers' plan for Kisan Gantantra Diwas Parade (transl. Farmers' Republic Day Parade) on the grounds of security, law and order, threats to the nation's prestige and "global image". On 11 January, KK Venugopal, the Attorney General for India, informed the Supreme Court of India that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had found evidence that the farmers were harbouring Khalistanis. The government ordered the Delhi Police, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, to submit an application to the Supreme Court to prevent the tractor parade. The Delhi Police application claimed that the tractor parade would cause "a massive law and order situation and will cause an embarrassment to the nation" and that the right to protest can never include "maligning the nation globally".
The SKM leadership, disappointed with the accusations by the Government, dismissed the allegations as baseless, stating that it intended to malign and demonise the farmers' movement. Balbir Singh Rajewal, the senior SKM leader has warned farmers to beware of Government attempts to malign the increasing popular movement through ‘dushprachar’ (bad propaganda). He accused the "anti-farmer forces and government agencies" of trying to scuttle the peaceful agitation of farmers and common people.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders announced that if their core demands of the repeal of the farm laws and legal guarantee to implement Minimum Support Price (MSP) were not met by 26 January 2021, they would hold a 'Kisan Gantantra Diwas Parade' (transl. Farmers' Republic Day Parade) on that day to coincide with the annual Republic Day Parade, in which the country showcases it tanks, missiles, and military might. Yogendra Yadav of Jai Kisan Andolan issued an appeal to all "farmers from adjoining areas of national capital to be prepared" for the 'Kisan Gantantra Diwas Parade'. Before the main tractor-parade on 26 January, SKM leadership announced a rehearsal of the same on 6 January 2021.
The eighth round of talks between the SKM at the Government at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, ended without progress. After the talks, union leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan said, "We do not want anything less than the repeal of laws" and that "we will not bow down". Hannan Mollah, another Kisan leader, stated that the tractor parade would be held as planned on 26 January. Balbir Singh Rajewal, reiterated that the government had no constitutional right to legislate on agricultural marketing since it was a state subject. The consensus amongst the farmer coalition was "Bill wapsi toh ghar wapsi (transl. Repeal the laws and we return home)", a slogan coined by Rakesh Takait, the leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait).
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) through Delhi police applied to the Supreme Court to bar the Kisan parade on grounds of security from entering into the National Capital Region of Delhi. Attorney-General KK Venugopal told the Supreme Court that with the impending Republic Day ceremony, "any disruption or obstruction in the said functions would not only be against the law and order, public order, public interest but would also be a huge embarrassment for the nation". The SC, not convinced by the Attorney general's appeals, noted that it was within the powers of the police to control the Kisan march, including finding out if the protestors were armed.