Jaipur, Dec 10 (IANS) The police had to resort to cane-charge and fire tear-gas shells in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh on Wednesday as farmers protesting the construction of an ethanol factory in Tibbi town clashed with the security forces. The confrontation turned violent as protesters used tractors to demolish the boundary wall of the under-construction ethanol producing plant.

Police resorted to cane-charge and fired tear-gas shells to disperse the crowd. Enraged farmers vandalised multiple vehicles and set at least 10 of them on fire. Several people, including policemen, were injured in the clashes.

Congress MLA Abhimanyu Poonia, who had reached the site to support the farmers, was injured in the lathi-charge and later admitted to Hanumangarh District Hospital. In view of the unrest, the administration shut down internet services in Tibbi and nearby villages. Schools and shops were also ordered closed.

The confrontation began earlier in the day when farmers gathered outside the SDM office demanding an immediate halt to construction at the ethanol plant. After talks with the administration failed — largely due to the authorities’ refusal to issue a written assurance to stop the work — the protesters marched towards Rathi Kheda village around 4 p.m. Within minutes, chaos unfolded at the factory site.

Farmers breached the wall with tractors and entered the premises, leading to stone-pelting, arson and a forceful police response. Dune Ethanol Private Limited, registered in Chandigarh and established in 2020, plans to set up a 40-MW grain-based ethanol plant in Hanumangarh.

The project is part of India’s ongoing Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme. The company’s directors are Jatinder Arora and Robin Jindal. Protesters set fire to one JCB, seven cars and two motorcycles. One was a government police vehicle; the rest were privately owned, including reportedly some belonging to policemen.

The police have not issued an official statement yet. A five-member farmer committee, including Shabnam Godara, Nitin Dhaka, Sukhjit Chattha, Jagjit Jaggi and Indrajit, then held talks with DSP Meenakshi in the evening.

The committee demanded a written order halting construction; however, the administration declined.

Protesters then gathered at Gurudwara Sahib to plan further action. Congress leader Shabnam Godara, CPI-M leader Jagjit Jaggi and others continued to camp at the factory gate, insisting on written assurance that construction would be stopped.

Earlier, farmer leaders had summoned the District Collector by 2 p.m. to demand a written halt to construction. The administration’s refusal triggered the march toward the factory.

Ethanol Factory Hatao Sangharsh Samiti members used tractors to pull down the factory wall. When police attempted to disperse them, protesters hurled stones, injuring nearly a dozen policemen. The injured were taken to the Tibbi Community Health Centre. Farmers broke the boundary wall and entered the site. Police fired tear-gas shells, and some police vehicles were also set on fire.

Several opposition leaders — MP Kuldeep Indora, MLA Abhimanyu Poonia, former MLA Balwan Poonia, CPI(M)’s Mangej Chaudhary, and farmer leaders from Haryana and Punjab — attended the protest meeting. Congress leaders like former CM Ashok Gehlot, Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and LoP Tika Ram Jully condemned the police’s lathi-charge on farmers. “Why does the BJP government have so much hatred for farmers?” questioned Gehlot.

–IANS

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