Delhi's Unesco world heritage site Red Fort reopens for visitors

The historic Red Fort complex, which was closed for visitors about a week ago due to security reasons in view of a farmers' march, has been reopened, official sources said on Sunday.

The iconic Mughal-era monument, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in old Delhi, was "suddenly sealed" late Monday night "due to security reasons".

"It was reopened a couple of days ago," a source at the Archeological Survey of India told PTI.

However, the Red Fort is regularly closed for visitors on Mondays, so they will not get entry inside the complex on February 19.

The site was temporarily closed amid a massive deployment of police and paramilitary forces in central Delhi in view of the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march.

Sources said "no order has been officially issued for reopening" of the site, adding, it was closed in accordance with police instructions and accordingly reopened.

Thousands of farmers are staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border with layers of barricades and a large number of security personnel halting their march to the national capital.

Besides loan waiver and a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), farmers of the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation, which entered its sixth day on Sunday, are also demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, and withdrawal of police cases.

There was no report of any confrontation between the protesters and Haryana security personnel on Saturday. The farmer leaders have asked the protesters to maintain calm at the borders.