Listen To This Post

Chandigarh:  Farmer leaders from Punjab, Haryana and several other states will participate in a kisan maha panchayat on Wednesday outside the Hanumangarh Deputy Commissioner’s office in Rajasthan to protest against a proposed ethanol plant in Tibbi village. Ahead of the gathering, the Rajasthan government has suspended internet services in the district as a precautionary measure.

The maha panchayat has been called by various farmer unions in Rajasthan, who allege that the ethanol plant would cause severe environmental damage, particularly through excessive groundwater depletion in the arid region.

SKM National Leaders to Attend

A 12-member national executive committee of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will attend the protest to extend solidarity. Among those expected are:

• Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president, BKU Ekta Ugrahan (Punjab)

• Prem Singh Gehlawat, president, All India Kisan Morcha (Haryana unit)

• Rakesh Tikait, BKU Tikait (Uttar Pradesh)

• P Krishnaprasad, Finance Secretary, All India Kisan Sabha (Kerala)

Leaders from several other states are also likely to participate.

Clarifying the scale of participation, Jagmohan Singh Patiala, state general secretary of BKU Dakaunda (an SKM constituent), said there would be no mass mobilisation from Punjab or Haryana.
“Only SKM national executive members will go to express solidarity. However, the SKM fully supports the demands of farmers in Hanumangarh,” he said.

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha Also to Join

Despite the internet shutdown, leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) from Haryana will attend the maha panchayat. “We will either travel by road or by train,” said Tejveer Singh, spokesperson of BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), a KMM constituent. He added that the Gramin Kisan Mazdoor Samiti (GKS), Rajasthan, also part of the KMM, is already spearheading the agitation in Hanumangarh. Sarwan Singh Pandher, KMM coordinator, confirmed that several Haryana-based constituent unions would participate.

Earlier Clashes, Continued Support

On December 10, farmers from Punjab visited Tibbi village, where clashes reportedly took place between farmers and the police. Kaka Singh Kotda, general secretary of BKU Sidhupur (SKM non-political), said he and a few union members were present that day.

He added that SKM (non-political) convener Jagjit Singh Dallewal visited the area on Monday to extend support. However, no Punjab leaders from the non-political SKM faction would attend Wednesday’s maha panchayat. Punjab-based social media influencer Bhana Sidhu was detained by Punjab Police on December 9, ahead of his planned visit to Tibbi village.

Ethanol Plant Project

The proposed ethanol plant is being set up by Dune Ethanol Private Limited, a Chandigarh-registered firm whose directors are Jatinder Arora and Robin Jindal. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Rajasthan government and the company was signed in 2022.

According to Rajasthan farmers, the company obtained a no-objection certificate (NoC) from Rathikhera village in the same year. However, the project site is located just 1.5 km from Tibbi village, whose residents are strongly opposing it.

Groundwater Depletion at Core of Protest

Santveer Singh Chahal of the Gramin Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti, Rajasthan, said farmers learnt about the project only after filing an RTI application at the Hanumangarh district collector’s office.

“The project covers nearly 65 acres and will consume thousands of litres of groundwater daily. In this region, that is unacceptable,” he said, adding that protests began in March 2024 and continued for months before being forcibly lifted last month when boundary wall construction began.

After the release of detained leaders, the agitation regained momentum, he added.

Broad Farmer Support

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, All India Kisan Sabha, BKU Sidhupur, GKS Rajasthan, and several other farmer unions have extended full support to the Tibbi village committee opposing the project. The maha panchayat is expected to further intensify the farmers’ movement against the ethanol plant amid growing concerns over water security and environmental sustainability in the region.