Punjab farmers under the Desh Bachao Morcha were stopped by Haryana Police at the Shambhu–Ambala and Khanauri–Jind border points while attempting to reach Delhi for a protest against a proposed India–United States trade deal. The episode matters for UPSC because it sits at the intersection of trade policy, agricultural livelihoods, and interstate law-and-order management.
What happened
The farmers said Haryana Police placed multi-layer barricades at the two border zones and blocked access to Delhi. The farmers also claimed that their leaders were detained.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher later said the protest would not escalate immediately after the Haryana Agriculture Minister assured the release of detained farmers and a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Following those assurances, the protest at Shambhu and Khanauri was concluded.
Why the protest matters
The Desh Bachao Morcha said the proposed India–United States trade deal could affect more than a narrow set of imports and exports. The farmer organisation linked the negotiations to agriculture, dairy, industry, digital trade, services, intellectual property rights, energy, investment, and market access.
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