#BreakingNews: Violence Erupts at Rajasthan Ethanol Plant Protest; Vehicles Torched, Dozens Injured

A long-simmering farmers’ agitation against a proposed ethanol plant in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district detonated into widespread violence on Wednesday, with thousands of protesters torching at least fourteen vehicles—including a JCB machine and several government cars—after breaking through police barricades in Tibbi town, plunging the region into chaos.

More than fifty protesters, including Congress MLA Abhimanyu Poonia, sustained injuries during the clashes, while five police personnel were also hurt, prompting authorities to immediately suspend mobile internet services across the area and impose prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to prevent further escalation.

The eruption followed a massive Mahapanchayat organised by farmer unions from Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, backed by Congress, CPM, and CITU, where speakers warned that the factory would irreversibly pollute water sources, render fertile Ganganagar farmland barren, and destroy agricultural livelihoods for generations.

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Defying the designated protest venue, the charged crowd marched toward the disputed Rathi Kheda site, allegedly smashing boundary walls and setting fire to vehicles in a calculated display of fury, forcing nearly thirty nearby families to flee their homes as flames and smoke engulfed the area.

District Collector Khushal Yadav defended the project’s legality, stating all environmental clearances and public consultations were completed since the 2022 MoU, while condemning the vandalism and asserting development cannot be held hostage by violence; over 1,500 police, RAC, and Home Guard personnel remain deployed as farmer leaders vow to continue the blockade until the plant is permanently relocated.

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