Bhubaneswar: A group of 80 Bajasal artistes from Odisha bore the brunt of the agitating farmers' tractor rally and the subsequent violence in Delhi on the occasion of the Republic Day on Tuesday.
The artistes, who had gone to Delhi to perform Bajasal, a popular tribal folk dance of Kalahandi district at the Republic Day parade, remained stranded for several hours due to the protest against Centre's three farm laws before being rescued by police.
According to sources, after completion of their performance at the Rajpath, the artistes were preparing to leave for their destination when farmers started the tractor rally. They got stranded at Red Fort along with artistes from other States.
The artistes remained stuck there for five hours from 12 PM. In the evening, police rescued the artistes and shifted to Daryaganj Mess of Delhi Police.
Apart from the artistes, children who had gone to Delhi to receive various awards were also stuck due to the violence.
“There were around 300 artists including children at the Red Fort. As the situation developed, we provided them with food and shifted them to a safe place, Daryaganj Mess,” DCP (North) Anto Alphonse told news agency ANI.
(Edited By Pradeep Singh)