Inthe wake of clashes between police and protesting farmers in Delhi on Tuesdayas the tractor rally burst into the city, opposition parties condemned theviolence and called for calm.
Somealso attacked the government over the fracas.
Congressspokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, in a tweet, said: "Sheer anarchy, utterlawlessness, and an absolute mess!
"Thisgovernment defines inefficiency, mismanagement, and transgression. Thegovernment has taught the world how to turn a peaceful protest into amobocracy."
AnotherCongress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergil, however, said the protest will weakendue to such acts.
"Peaceis the strength of any protest and gets weakened when you need to bank uponviolence - urge both sides (protestors & police) to remain calm, follow thedharma of democracy because when lives are lost & national property isdamaged then it is loss of entire Nation."
ShivSena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said: "It is saddening that people aredefending the sacrilege that we witnessed at the Red Fort, dear apologiststhere is only one flag and that is the Indian Flag that should fly high fromthe ramparts of our historic monument however strong a cause for protest onemight have."
Congressleader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor expressed concern over the thedeath of a protesting farmer.
"Saddenedto learn of the death of a protestor in police firing. Authorities must urgethe police to observe restraint. Violence resolves nothing & resorting toit reduces the state to the level of its enemies. We must resolve this crisisthrough democratic means, not force," he said.
CommunistParty of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury attacked the policefor excessive force at ITO.
"Teargassing and lathicharging Kisans is unacceptable. Why, after the Delhi Police& Samyukt Kisan Morcha agreement? Why is the government provoking aconfrontation. They must allow the peaceful, agreed tractor parade tocontinue," he said in a reaction prior to the hooliganism at Red Fort.
Inan unexpected development, hundreds of protesting farmers swarmed the historicRed Fort on Tuesday as their 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' turned violent at severalplaces in the national capital.
Alarge group of farmers, riding tractors and motorcycles and with tricolours andfarmer union flags, stormed the Red Fort. A few youths even climbed up theflagpole on the 17th century landmark and put up a saffron-coloured pennant.
Visualsfrom the spot showed farmers swarming the Red Fort even as hundreds of othersclashed with Delhi Police personnel near the ITO intersection in central Delhi,which witnessed chaos as security personnel were clearly outnumbered by theprotesters.
Othervideo clips showed farmers chasing away policemen and trying to remove a DTCbus parked across the ITO road stretch by pushing it out of the way with atractor.
Thepolice fired tear gas shells and lathi-charged the protesters on multipleoccasions as farmers remained adamant to move towards the Red Fort.