In a preemptive measure to maintain law and order, the district administration in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh has enforced a temporary 30-hour suspension of mobile internet services across Sangaria tehsil and a 10-kilometre radius, coinciding with prohibitory orders under Section 163, as thousands of farmers prepare to converge for a mahapanchayat on January 7 protesting the proposed Dune Ethanol Private Limited factory.

The large-scale gathering, spearheaded by the "Remove ethanol factory – save the region" struggle committee, is anticipated to attract significant participation from farmers in Hanumangarh and Sri Ganganagar districts, as well as from adjoining areas in Haryana and Punjab, with organisers reiterating demands for immediate cancellation of the project's memorandum of understanding and dismissal of legal cases lodged against protesters during previous demonstrations.

Officials justified the internet blackout—from 6 pm on Tuesday until 11:59 pm on Wednesday—as essential to curb potential rumour circulation and misuse of social media platforms that could escalate tensions, while explicitly exempting voice calls, landline broadband, SMS services, and critical connectivity for hospitals, banking institutions, and industrial operations.

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Security deployments have been substantially reinforced throughout Sangaria town, featuring barricades at all primary entry routes and rigorous screening at designated checkpoints such as Ratanpura Kanchi, Nathwana, Bhagatpura bridge, and the rural college canal bridge on Chautala Road, alongside strict prohibitions on gatherings exceeding five individuals, possession of weapons or sticks, and unauthorised use of religious sites for assemblies.

The core dispute centres on farmers' assertions that the ethanol facility planned for the Tibbi region poses severe threats to fertile agricultural land, depletes precious groundwater reserves, and endangers the local environment and livelihoods, contrasting sharply with the administration's position that the initiative will foster substantial employment opportunities and drive much-needed industrial progress in the agriculturally dominant area.

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