Hanumangarh ethanol plant: Farmer leaders from Punjab, Haryana to join kisan maha panchayat in Rajasthan on Dec 17

“There will be no mass mobilisation from Punjab or Haryana. Only members of the SKM national executive committee will go to extend solidarity. However, the SKM fully supports the demands of farmers in Hanumangarh,” said Jagmohan Singh Patiala, state general secretary of BKU Dakaunda, a constituent of the SKM.

“We have learnt that internet services have been suspended in Hanumangarh, but leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) from Haryana will be part of the maha panchayat. We will either travel by road or by train,” said Tejveer Singh, spokesperson of the BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), a constituent of the KMM. He added that the Gramin Kisan Mazdoor Samiti (GKS), Rajasthan, also a constituent of the KMM, is already leading the agitation in Hanumangarh.

Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the KMM, said that constituent bodies of the morcha from Haryana would participate in Wednesday’s maha panchayat.

On December 10, farmers from Punjab visited the Tibbi village, where clashes reportedly took place between farmers and police. Kaka Singh Kotda, general secretary of BKU Sidhupur, a constituent of the SKM (non-political), said he and a few members of his union had visited the village on that day. He added that SKM (non-political) convener Jagjit Singh Dallewal went Monday to extend support.

“However, no one from Punjab will be going on Wednesday from the SKM (non-political) side. We are fully with the farmers, and our Rajasthan counterparts are leading the agitation; we will continue to support them,” Kotda said.

Punjab-based social media influencer Bhana Sidhu was detained by Punjab Police on December 9, ahead of his planned visit to Tibbi village.

MoU for Hanumangarh ethanol plant signed in 2002

The proposed plant is being set up by Dune Ethanol Private Limited, a Chandigarh-registered company. Its directors are Jatinder Arora and Robin Jindal. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Rajasthan government and the company in 2022. The company obtained a no-objection certificate (NoC) from village Rathikhera in the same year, revealed information from Rajasthan farmers.

However, the project site is located just 1.5 km from the Tibbi village, and they strongly object to it, said Santveer Singh Chahal of the Gramin Kisan Mazdoor Sangrash Samiti, Rajasthan.

“We came to know about the project after filing an RTI application at the district collector’s office in Hanumangarh and began protesting in March 2024. The protest continued outside the factory site for months but was forcibly lifted last month when construction of the boundary wall began,” Chahal said.

He added that after detained leaders were released, the agitation regained momentum. “The information we received shows that the factory is coming up on nearly 65 acres of land and will consume thousands of litres of groundwater every day. We will not allow this to happen,” he said.

The land for the project was purchased between 2022 and 2023 from eight to ten farmers, he added.

The SKM has extended full support to the protesting farmers. The All India Kisan Sabha, BKU Sidhupur, GKS Rajasthan and several other unions have also backed the local village committee opposing the project.