Angry Indian farmers gather near parliament to protest over farm laws

New Delhi - 'We are here to remind the govt again that the anti-farmer laws need to be rolled back'

Indian farmers, protesting against new agriculture laws they say threaten their livelihoods, started a sit-in on Thursday near parliament in the capital, renewing a push for repeal of the laws.

In the longest-running growers' protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, tens of thousands of farmers have camped out on major highways leading to New Delhi for more than seven months.

On Thursday, police in New Delhi escorted 200 farmers from protest spots on the outskirts to Jantar Mantar, a large Mughal-era observatory in a central area that doubles as a protest site.

"We are here to remind the government again that the anti-farmer laws need to be rolled back to protect Indian agriculture and millions of poor farmers from a complete takeover by large corporations," Rakesh Tikait, a leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, one of the largest grouping of farmers, told Reuters.

Farmers complained that before being allowed to gather at the central site, their identity cards were checked by police, who have tightened security, erecting barricades and check posts to deter violence.

The protest follows a clash with police by thousands of angry farmers late in January after they drove tractors into security barriers. One protester was killed and more than 80 police injured citywide.

Farmers, however, say the new laws favour large private retailers by freeing them to buy farm goods outside government-regulated wholesale grain markets.