Farmers intensify protests across Punjab over land pooling, trade deal

Farmers and labor organizations across Punjab intensified their protests on Monday as part of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta) Ugrahan movements. The KMM organized day-long gatherings in all 22 districts outside Deputy Commissioner offices, while the BKU Ugrahan continued its indefinite dharnas outside Deputy Commissioner offices in 17 districts. Amritsar saw a particularly large turnout, with hundreds of farmers, laborers, youth, and public members participating in the protests.

The KMM and BKU Ugrahan demanded several key actions, including the procurement of various crops at Minimum Support Prices (MSP), a complete loan waiver for farmers and laborers, compensation and job opportunities for families of suicide victims, and effective policies to address issues such as floods, groundwater depletion, and air and water pollution.

They also demanded the withdrawal of the land pooling policy, cancellation of the India-US trade deal, and cessation of police, railway, and stubble-burning cases registered during previous movements. Furthermore, the KMM opposed the four labor codes, the Seed Act 2025, the Electricity Amendment Bill 2025, and the VB-G RAM G Act.

The BKU Ugrahan's indefinite dharnas entered their second day on Monday, with protesters bringing tractor-trolleys to sites to stay overnight. In Bathinda and Sangrur, large groups of farmers, laborers, and women joined the protests, blocking roads adjacent to Deputy Commissioner offices. BKU Ugrahan leaders demanded a clear policy statement from Punjab regarding drone-based land surveys in Bathinda and Sangrur, warning that teams entering agricultural fields for such surveys would face protests and gheraos.

Most of the BKU Ugrahan's demands mirrored those of the KMM, and BKU Ugrahan leaders announced participation in a major gathering on September 9 to commemorate revolutionary poet Avtar Singh Paash's birth anniversary.