Farmers Protest India-US Trade Deal With Delhi Rally

The Desh Bachao Morcha, a coalition representing approximately 550 farmers' unions and civil society organizations, organized a Kisan Mahapanchayat rally at Kisan Ghat in New Delhi on July 21, 2026. Protesters from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan demanded that the Government of India abandon a proposed Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Farmer leaders argued the deal would allow cheap American agricultural and dairy imports to flood the Indian market, harming small farmers, livestock owners, and national food sovereignty.

To prevent the march, the Haryana Police sealed the Shambhu border and other entry points, deploying 15 companies of security forces and installing cement blocks over the Ghaggar river bridge. Authorities also established barricades at the Khanauri-Jind inter-state boundaries. These efforts led to the detention of several leaders, including Gurnam Singh Charuni, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni), who was detained in Kurukshetra.

In the capital, the Delhi Police detained farmers at the Singhu border to restrict access to the rally site. The Delhi Traffic Police issued advisories for routes around Satyagrah Marg and Rajghat Crossing to manage congestion. Despite the blockade, coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher asserted that the farmers were in no mood for confrontation and had utilized buses rather than tractor-trailers to maintain a peaceful protest.