Khanauri Border Sealed, But Here’s What Farmers are Now Protesting For

Haryana Police blocked the Khanauri border with five-layer barricading as SKM farmers began their 228-km “Kisan Bachao Padyatra” to Delhi over the India-US trade deal. Talks with Dallewal remain inconclusive.

North Desk Correspondent

Khanauri/Jind, August 16

Khanauri Border Sealed: Haryana Police sealed the Khanauri inter-state border point with five layers of barricading on Sunday, blocking farmers from proceeding toward Delhi on the first day of their 228-km “Kisan Bachao Padyatra.”

The foot march, organised under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and led by convener Jagjit Singh Dallewal, began from Data Singhwala village in Jind district at 3 pm.

According to SKM (Non-Political) leader Harshdeep Gill, 51 padyatris plan to cover the entire 228-km stretch on foot, supported by roughly 200 additional volunteers and travellers accompanying the march in shifts. Organisers said the march would proceed strictly two-abreast along one side of the road and would not obstruct traffic at any point — a detail SKM leaders framed as pre-emptive assurance of discipline, given the barricading response it drew anyway.

Before setting out, marchers carried soil from the site where farmer Shubhkaran Singh died during the 2024 agitation at the same border point — underlining how central Khanauri remains to the movement’s memory and symbolism.

The route:

Khanauri Border Sealed:

Data Singhwala → Narwana → Uchana → Khatkar toll → Jind → Ludana → Gohana → Israna → Samalkha → Singhu border → Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The march is scheduled to conclude on August 29 with a “peaceful kisan panchayat” at Jantar Mantar, which organisers say will draw farmers from across the country.

Khanauri Border Sealed: The demands

Khanauri Border Sealed: SKM (Non-Political) has listed the following as the padyatra’s core demands:

• Agriculture, dairy, poultry and fisheries be kept outside the scope of the proposed India-US trade deal
• A legal guarantee ensuring full MSP procurement of all crops, calculated on the Swaminathan Commission’s C2+50% formula
• Complete farm loan waiver for farmers
• An increase in the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane
• Fulfilment of written commitments the Union government has previously made to farmer organisations during talks
• Withdrawal of all cases registered against farmers in connection with earlier farmer agitations

Dallewal said organisers had written in advance to the Union Home Minister, the Haryana Chief Minister, the Haryana DGP, and the Delhi Police Commissioner, informing them of the march’s route and logistical arrangements.

On the ground, Jind Police mounted a heavy security response regardless: water cannons, riot control vehicles and concrete barricades were positioned near the Narwana canal bridge, and Jind SP Kuldeep Singh said the farmer bodies had not obtained permission for the march and would not be allowed to enter Haryana.

Three rounds of talks between SKM (Non-Political) representatives and Haryana government officials through the day remained inconclusive. Dallewal rejected an offer to meet the Haryana chief minister, insisting instead on an appointment with the Union agriculture minister — reflecting the trade-deal demand’s priority over the other, more familiar items on the list.

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