26th November 2020 saw thousands of farmers protest in the Indian capital state of New Delhi where they had set up camps that blocked entry into the city. This protest started considering the recent agricultural laws that if implemented could destroy the livelihoods of farmers. The protest saw more than 300,000 farmers who came from Punjab and Haryana, both men and women who plan to continue the protests until their demands are met nonetheless their voices are heard.
The farmers met with barricades and barbed wires on major roads into the city. The use of tear gas and water cannons was also attempted in order to dissuade them from staying in the city and protesting along with ripping up highways to abstain protests and tractors from moving forward. There was also an attempt to turn stadiums into jails to detain farmers which were denied by the Delhi government who stated that farmers were not criminals and had the right to peaceful demonstrations.
The farmers have come together to protest a series of agricultural laws that deregulate the prices of crops which would leave them at the mercy of big corporations. To justify this, the government says that these laws will help them more autonomy on the selling of their crops and will not give rise to monopolies. These laws are under protest for the last two months, which saw marches, blocking of railways in the state of Punjab. The farmers have now come to the capital in order to talk with the government to rethink and act in accordance with what they want as more than 40%of the population work in agriculture. Along with reviewing the laws, the farmers have also demanded the removal of fine for stubble burning and the practice of burning the field in order to remove the old crop. They have stated this as a solution to the toxic air pollution that engulfs the Delhi and Northern India region.
