Hundreds of farmers traveling from Punjab toward Delhi were stopped by Haryana Police at the Shambhu border on Tuesday morning. The multi-layered barricading at the state border is reminiscent of the “Delhi Chalo-2” agitation of 2024.
Blocked from proceeding to the capital, the marching farmers converted the Shambhu border crossing into an active protest encampment.
Core Points of Conflict
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Protest Objective: Farmers are traveling under the banner of the Desh Bachao Morcha to hold a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Delhi, rallying against the proposed India-US bilateral trade deal.
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Border Standoff: Convoys led by organizations such as the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) and BKU Shaheed Bhagat Singh were stopped at the Shambhu entry point. Union leaders accused the Haryana administration of encroaching on Punjab territory with barricades, while criticizing the Punjab government for failing to intervene.
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Differential Movement: While Punjab convoys were blocked at the border, smaller groups of farmers from Haryana districts (including Ambala and Kurukshetra) continued moving toward Delhi.
Key Concerns Regarding the Proposed Trade Pact
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher highlighted specific policy grievances regarding the upcoming trade negotiations:
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Scope of the Deal: The proposed India-US trade framework—targeted for its initial negotiations by fall 2026—could open access across critical domestic sectors, including agriculture, dairy, digital trade, and intellectual property.
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Impact on Smallholders: Protesters fear that lowering import tariffs on US agricultural and dairy commodities (such as soybeans, maize, cotton, and dairy products) will flood the domestic market with heavily subsidized goods, undercutting local farmers.
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Livelihood Risks: Demonstrators emphasized that India’s dairy sector alone supports roughly 80 million rural families. They caution that opening the market to foreign competitors risks widespread economic disruption for small traders and agricultural workers.
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Demands for Transparency: The Desh Bachao Morcha is urging the Central Government to release all negotiation documents into the public domain and refrain from signing any agreements without multi-stakeholder consultations.
