Farmers' unions in Haryana demand India-US trade deal to be scrapped, begin 3-day dharna

A three-day sit-in called by 10 farmers' unions over various issues that include a demand to scrap the India-US trade deal began in Kurukshetra on Monday amid tight security. Thousands of farmers assembled at Tau Devi Lal Park in the morning, and later marched on foot towards the chief minister's camp office here but were stopped near Jindal Chowk by police who had set up barricades there. The protesters then sat on the road and raised slogans against the government, with police deployed in large numbers at the site. Farmer leaders said the sit-in would continue for three days. Farmer leader Mandeep Singh Sirsa said one of the key demands was that the US-India trade deal would be scrapped. Other demands include waiving electricity bills of farmers and providing compensation for crop damage, he said. The farmers' unions said they were open to talks if any government official approached them at the protest site, else they would chalk out a strategy to intensify the agitation. Amarjeet Singh Mohri, president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), said the protest would remain peaceful and democratic. He said farmers had brought food and essential supplies and would continue the sit-in until concrete assurances were given on their demands. Ashok Balara, a farmer leader from Rohtak, said no representative from the CM's camp office had contacted them for talks so far. Farmer leader, Sirsa, warned that the agitation would be intensified if the government did not initiate dialogue with them. Police have made elaborate security arrangements in and around the protest site. Traffic movement was affected in parts of the city due to barricading and heavy police deployment.