Security forces intercepted hundreds of agricultural workers heading toward the national capital at the Punjab-Haryana border on Tuesday, preventing them from participating in a planned Kisan Mahapanchayat to protest against a proposed trade pact between India and the United States.

Heavy security deployments and concrete barricades reinforced with iron spikes blocked the Shambhu border crossing—a major interstate transit point—evoking memories of the "Delhi Chalo-2" demonstrations of February 2024.

Blocked from advancing further, the demonstrators established a protest encampment at the border, accusing both the Haryana and Punjab state administrations of infringing upon their democratic rights to gather in Delhi.

BKU Shaheed Bhagat Singh leader Tezveer Singh criticized law enforcement actions, alleging that Haryana Police had erected barricades within Punjab's territorial jurisdiction while accusing the Punjab government of failing to challenge the move.

However, despite the border closure for Punjab-based contingents, agricultural workers from Haryana districts such as Ambala and Kurukshetra successfully continued their march toward Delhi.

The Mahapanchayat was organized under the banner of the Desh Bachao Morcha, uniting farmer alliances across Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh to demand an immediate halt to negotiations on the proposed India-US bilateral trade deal.

Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that several organizations—including the KMSC, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha’s Punjab wing, Azaad Kisan Morcha, and BKU Ekta Sangharsh—had initiated marches from various locations across Punjab before encountering police barricades at Shambhu.

Pandher noted that a joint declaration released by India and the United States in February 2026 committed both nations to concluding the initial phase of a multi-sector bilateral trade agreement by autumn 2026.

He argued that the envisioned deal extends far beyond standard commercial treaties, potentially impacting agriculture, dairy, manufacturing, digital commerce, investment, government procurement, intellectual property rights, and the services sector.

Demonstrators highlighted concerns over historical US trade positions, which have consistently pushed for broader access to Indian agricultural and livestock markets through tariff reductions and eased restrictions on commodities such as soybeans, maize, cotton, ethanol, apples, almonds, dairy products, poultry, and fisheries.

They warned that permitting subsidized American agricultural and dairy imports into the domestic market would inflict severe harm on millions of small and marginal farmers incapable of competing with foreign yields.

Protesters also criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the diplomatic negotiations, emphasizing that key clauses of the proposed pact remain undisclosed.

Desh Bachao Morcha leaders pointed out that India's dairy sector alone sustains nearly 80 million rural families, cautioning that market disruptions would create adverse ripple effects across milk producers, small vendors, food processing units, agricultural industries, and micro-enterprises.

The coalition demanded that the Indian government publish all official documentation relating to the proposed India-US trade framework and refrain from finalizing any pact without comprehensive consultations with agricultural workers, dairy producers, laborers, small business owners, and affected stakeholders.

Source: NDTV