Police fire tear gas from drones at Indian farmers' protest

Farmers run for cover after police fired tear gas to disperse protesting farmers who were marching to New Delhi near the Punjab-Haryana border at Shambhu, India, Tuesday, Feb. ©Rajesh Sachar/AP

Indian police on Tuesday used tear gas and detained some farmers who clashed with them and tried to break barricades blocking their way to New Delhi to demand guaranteed crop prices.

Police dropped tear gas canisters on the protesting farmers from a drone at one of the border points in northern Haryana state that leads to New Delhi, where tens of thousands of farmers are headed on tractors and trucks.

The demonstration is an echo of protests in 2021, which saw farmers camping out on the city's outskirts for more than a year.

The government has banned large gatherings in the capital and suspended internet service in some districts of neighbouring Haryana state to prevent communication among the protesters.

The demonstration comes more than two years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew controversial agriculture laws that had triggered the earlier protests.

The farmers, who began their march in northern Haryana and Punjab states, are asking for a guaranteed minimum support price for all farm produce.

© Euronews