Farmers Stopped at Shambhu Border While Marching Against US Trade Deal

Hundreds of farmers from Punjab were stopped by Haryana Police at the Shambhu border on Tuesday while attempting to march to Delhi to participate in a Kisan Mahapanchayat against the proposed India-US trade agreement. Security personnel erected multi-layered barricades at the Punjab-Haryana border, preventing the protesters from entering Haryana. The scene resembled the February 2024 "Delhi Chalo-2" agitation, when the border was heavily fortified to stop farmers from reaching the national capital.

After being denied passage, the farmers remained at the Shambhu border and turned the area into a protest site. Farmer leaders accused both the Haryana and Punjab governments of restricting their democratic right to assemble in Delhi. BKU Shaheed Bhagat Singh leader Tezveer Singh alleged that Haryana Police had erected barricades inside Punjab's territory and claimed the Punjab government had failed to oppose the move.

While convoys from Punjab were halted, farmers from Haryana, including those from Ambala, Kurukshetra and neighbouring districts, continued their journey towards Delhi to attend the Mahapanchayat. The gathering has been organised under the banner of the Desh Bachao Morcha, bringing together farmer organisations from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to oppose the proposed India-US trade agreement.

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Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said convoys belonging to the KMSC, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (Punjab chapter), Azaad Kisan Morcha and BKU Ekta Sangharsh had set out from different parts of Punjab before being stopped at the border. Farmer organisations said they were protesting against provisions they believe could emerge from the proposed bilateral trade agreement between India and the United States.

Farmer leaders argued that the proposed agreement could include negotiations on agriculture, dairy, digital trade, investment, government procurement, intellectual property rights and services. They expressed concern that greater access for subsidised American agricultural and dairy products could adversely affect India's small and marginal farmers. They also criticised what they described as a lack of transparency in the negotiations and demanded that the Centre make all related documents public before finalising any agreement.

The protesting organisations said India's dairy sector supports nearly 80 million rural families and warned that any policy changes affecting the sector could have widespread consequences for the rural economy, including dairy producers, small traders, agri-based industries and micro enterprises. They urged the Centre not to sign any trade agreement without first holding comprehensive consultations with farmers, dairy producers, workers and other stakeholders likely to be affected.

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