ASI officials say farmers protest: Red Fort temporarily closed to tourists

The Red Fort complex has been temporarily closed to tourists due to security reasons amid massive deployment of police and paramilitary forces in central Delhi in view of the farmers’ march, a senior ASI official said on Tuesday.

The official said the Mughal-era monument in Old Delhi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was “suddenly cordoned off” late on Monday “due to security reasons”.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials told Press Trust of India (PTI) that heavy security had been deployed around the complex since late last night and was “closed to tourists”. Asked when the 17th-century monument would reopen, the official said “it will be a call from security agencies”.

Following talks between farm leaders and the Centre, Delhi has stepped up security and put up multi-layered barricades, concrete blocks, iron spikes and container walls at border crossings to stop the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march of farmers from entering the national capital. The jury is still out.

The Outer Ring Road leading to the Red Fort was also blocked as the police did not want to take risks this time, unlike the last time on January 26, 2021, when a large number of protesting farmers entered central Delhi. India celebrated its Republic Day anniversary.

That day, a group of excited farmers entered the Red Fort complex and scaled its walls. The fresh round of protests is trying to force the Center to accept farmers’ demands, including enacting a law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

In addition to sealing Delhi’s Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders, police also set up multi-layered roadblocks on many roads leading to Parliament and central Delhi. The Red Fort is closed every Monday on weekdays.

More than 170 monuments in Delhi are protected by ASI, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutb Minar; Safdarjung Tomb, Purana Purana Quila, Tughlakabad Fort, Hauz Khas, Jantar Mantar and Firoz Shah Kotla. According to officials, the average daily footfall at the Red Fort ranges from 8,000 to 12,000 people on weekdays, while the average daily footfall at Humayun’s Tomb ranges from 6,000 to 10,000. However, they said Humayun’s Tomb attracted more foreign tourists overall.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)