Farmers stopped during march to BJP office in Chandigarh

Hundreds of farmers, responding to a nationwide call by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) against the proposed India–US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), staged a protest in Chandigarh on Wednesday after police stopped their march towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Sector 33. A brief scuffle broke out when security personnel prevented the protesters from moving ahead by erecting barricades.

The protesters had assembled at Kisan Bhawan in Sector 35 before beginning their march towards the BJP office. As the procession advanced, police intercepted the farmers on the route, leading to pushing and jostling between the two sides. Authorities, however, prevented the demonstrators from proceeding further, following which the farmers raised slogans against the government and continued their protest at the spot.

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The demonstration formed part of SKM’s nationwide campaign opposing the proposed India–US trade agreement. Under the organisation’s programme, protests were held across several states, with toll plazas made toll-free between noon and 3 pm in many locations. In areas without toll plazas, farmer groups planned demonstrations outside BJP offices and the residences of party leaders.

Farmer leaders alleged that the Chandigarh administration stopped them before they could reach the BJP office and claimed that some protesters were briefly detained during the protest. They said the administration later assured them that the Chandigarh BJP leadership would be invited to receive their memorandum.

Following the assurance, Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Malhotra reached the protest site and held discussions with representatives of the farmers. The meeting helped ease tensions, after which the protesters dispersed peacefully.

Malhotra said the BJP understood the concerns raised by the farmers and assured them that their demands would be examined. He said he would speak to the Director General of Police (DGP) regarding pending issues, including cases registered against some farmers, and that a response would be provided within two days.

Referring to the cases filed against protesters, Malhotra said that most had already been withdrawn, while a few matters in Chandigarh were still pending. He added that these would be reviewed in consultation with the police authorities.

On the concerns surrounding the proposed India–US trade agreement, Malhotra said the matter required detailed discussions and assured the farmers that their views would be heard. He also said efforts would be made to facilitate a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner on issues related to the inclusion of village common (shamlat) land under the Municipal Corporation, responding to another key demand raised by the protesting farmers.