Farmers in Fatehabad district staged peaceful but prolonged protests on Saturday, opposing the government’s biometric system and new conditions for selling wheat.
In Bhattu Mandi, several farmer organisations gathered under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha. They held a sit-in on Adampur Road for nearly four hours, blocking traffic and raising slogans against the state government. Police, including DSP Jagdish Kajla and the local station chief, were present and diverted traffic to maintain order. Farmers said the biometric system creates technical difficulties for small and marginal farmers. Although the protest was peaceful, participants warned they would intensify their agitation if their demands were not addressed.
Simultaneously, in Ratia, farmers also protested against the conditions imposed on wheat procurement. A roadblock at Sanjay Gandhi Chowk, which lasted around four hours, drew large numbers of participants. Farmers criticised rules requiring tractor photographs and biometric verification, saying these measures make it difficult to sell their crops. Leaders from the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan, Kisan Maha Sabha, and other organisations addressed the crowd, demanding that the rules be withdrawn and the wheat procurement process simplified.
Sunaina Chautala, Haryana’s INLD women’s leader, visited Tohana in Fatehabad district and inspected the wheat procurement process at the Additional Grain Market. She later joined protesting farmers on the national highway, voicing support for their demands. Chautala criticised the state government for imposing complex regulations, questioned the effectiveness of the biometric system and cited administrative corruption and inefficiency.
