Protest against land reform in India

Several thousand people of Indian descent living in Great Britain protested on Sunday in central London against land reform in India, which is very controversial there. London police arrested 13 people for breaking epidemic restrictions.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Indian Embassy and then walked to Trafalgar Square, which has regularly been the scene of weekend protests in recent weeks.

Political demonstrations are exempt from the UK ban on gathering more than six people due to the Covid-19 epidemic, but only if the organizers get approval from the authorities, subject to adherence to guidelines and presenting a risk assessment. Meanwhile, according to information from the police and witnesses' reports, the participants of the protest did not maintain social distance and few people had their faces covered.

"The capital city remains in the middle of a pandemic. It is important that we all play our part in the fight against Covid-19," said Police Chief Paul Brogden. Four of the 13 arrested people have already been released after being fined, police said.

In India, tens of thousands of farmers are protesting against three bills that the government says will reform outdated public procurement procedures and give farmers more opportunities to sell their produce. Farmers fear, however, that a law passed in September would eventually dismantle Indian regulated markets and cause the government to stop buying wheat and rice at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers.

People of Indian descent living in the UK still have strong ties to the country. According to the last census, which took place in 2011, there were less than 1.5 million people with Indian roots in Great Britain at that time, which constituted 2.3% of the total population. population.

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