The magnificent victory of the 16-month long mass movement against  forcibly setting up of an ethanol factory has found a proud place among some of the few successful agitations that took on the ‘double engine’ corporate-communal government head on. It was August 8, 2024, that people from several villages of Tibbi Tehsil  of Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan launched a dharna at Rathi Khera village after urging the district administration to reject the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding setting up of an ethanol processing  factory for which 62.5 acres of agricultural land was purchased  in the village by concealing the actual purpose and misleading the farmers that rice sellers will be set up.

People, however, took no time in sensing the real intent as soon as large pipes started to be drilled very deep underground.  A massive propaganda campaign was launched by the owners of the proposed factory to preach the imaginary benefits for the local people, like employment, etc. This made the farmers and workers to launch a counter campaign highlighting scientific facts regarding the potential threat of pollution to the soil, subsoil water and the air.

The arrogant administration and the power intoxicated BJP refused to learn any lesson from the historical legacy of this entire region and the glorious sacrifices made in the past movements of farmers and agricultural workers including women and students. People of our country do remember the Rawla–Gharsana-Anupgarh militant movement of 2004-5 in Hanumangarh and adjacent Ganganagar districts that had spread across the state. It was led by stalwarts like Comrade Sheopat Singh and Het Ram ji Beniwal on the issue of irrigation and drinking water in which eight farmers laid down their lives, bringing down the government to its knees.

Land Struggle of 1970

People of this region had tilled these thus far barren lands without irrigation water. But the hopes and aspirations of landless peasantry were roused when the Rajasthan Canal was constructed in the aftermath of water sharing accord of Ravi-Beas waters between the states, and Rajasthan got its share of water. It was necessary to construct the canal to carry the allotted share to the thirsty fields of Rajasthan. Consequently, a class contradiction came to the fore. The landlords were over-excited to grab these lands and the Mohan Lal Sukhadia government sided with them by announcing the auction policy under which no poor peasant could get even one bigha of land.  In this situation Communist Party and other mass organisation launched a big morcha to disrupt the auctions. 20,000 people courted arrest and all jails of Rajasthan were overcrowded. Com. Sheopat Singh, his wife Promila  and their 5-year old daughter Suman were also in jail. Seven persons became martyrs in Sangaria police firing on January 7, 1970. Congress govt was under tremendous pressure.

Com. AK Gopalan the then Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, led a delegation of agitation leaders to meet Indira Gandhi and the auction policy was cancelled, and the demand to allot the lands to landless and poor farmers was accepted. One lakh farmers got lands which they developed and made highly fertile.

The reason behind recalling these past events is to explain that the same lands and water were now under threat of turning poisonous and unfertile due to the ethanol factory which the previous generation of the existing farmers had nourished with their sweat and blood. It is reported that to make one litre of ethanol one thousand litres of water was needed.

Police Attack

Meanwhile, police was desperate to finish off the ongoing dharna and on December 10, 2025, a gathering of over 10,000 persons was brutally attacked when they wanted the construction work stopped. A request to the Collector was sent for his intervention but he refused to come and  instead sent orders for the  police to remove the protesters by force. Hundreds were injured in the lathi charge including elders, women, children. MLA Dushyant Punia, Khet Mazdoor leader Jagjeet Jaggi, Kisan  Sabha leader Mangej Chaudhary and many prominent leaders got injured. In spite of this, the protesters were so determined that 4000 strong  police force had to retreat and run away from the site while the whole construction site came under the control of people who pulled down the boundary wall with tractors.

In this background the Mahapanchayat of December 17, at Daana Mandi Hanumangarh was fixed, to be addressed by national leaders of SKM for giving a befitting reply to the police repression. What had happened was shameful as it was ordered to appease a private industrialist. The desperate administration tried every cheap tactic to foil the Panchayat. Flag marches were staged, patwaris were asked to stop people from coming. But Com. Balwan Punia, Rameshwar Verma, Subhash Verma, Jagjeet Jaggi, Chander Kala, Kamla Meghwal and others apart from DYFI and CITU leadership took out jathas across the length and breadth of the districts. To the pleasant surprise of the organisers and utter disappointment of the government, streams of processions with great enthusiasm filled up the venue. A significant feature of a 15,000 plus mobilisation was the participation of women, workers and youth in a big numbers.

Big Victory

Rakesh Tikait and Jogender Ugrahan led a big jatha from adjoining Punjab, AIKS and CITU jathas came, women came in hundreds. Dr. Aashish Mittal, P. Krishna Prasad, Inderjit Singh, Pushpendra Tyagi, Rajender Advocate, Gurnam Singh Charuni all addressed, and the audience listened to every word accompanied by big applause. The Panchayat continued for five hours and simultaneously negotiations too continued. Finally, the district administration gave in writing the government will be informed of the environment hazards, work at the site will remain stopped and police cases will be withdrawn. This gave a big sentiment of impending victory although the real victory came the next day when owners of factory publicly declared  that they will not go ahead with the ethanol factory at Tibbi or even elsewhere in Rajasthan. This is how a struggle, based on a firm Kisan Mazdoor unity in action, was witnessed achieving a magnificent victory against a corporate house having full backing of the double-engine government. It also gives fresh confidence and hope that more such glorious successes will be achieved in the new year 2026.

A huge turnout is again going to be held at Sangaria on January 7, to mark the martyrdom of seven farmers in 1970.