Internet shutdown enters 4th day in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh after massive farmer protest rocks ethanol plant in Tibbi - 5 updates

A tense calm prevails in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh after a massive farmer protest rocked the district's Tibbi area. The preventive internet shutdown entered fourth day with ground reports suggesting that the administration is in touch with the protesters to resolve the issue.

The protests against the proposed ethanol plant in Tibbi reached the Lok Sabha on Friday as Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal mentioned the issue and demanded action against the cops. He said that over five thousand farmers were part of the protests and cops resorted to fire against them.

Congress MLA Abhimanyu Poonia has also been injured in the protests. The RLP Chief urged the Congress to also raise the issue in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.

Security personnel, from Home Guards to RAC, remain deployed in large numbers in the area, PTI confirmed.

As the situation remains under control with no new reports of fresh violence, here are five big updates on the issue:

1. Internet Shutdown & Detentions: According to a PTI report, internet services in the area remain suspended. Police have detained 40 people and filed cases against 107 others following the unrest.

2. Talks Underway Amid Refuge at Gurdwara: A core committee meeting of protestors will be held on Friday at the Tibbi gurdwara, where hundreds of villagers have taken shelter since Wednesday's clashes. Hanumangarh district collector Khushal Yadav said discussions with protestors are ongoing and the situation is under control.

3. Farmers' Allegations & Escalation: Protest leaders allege that police tried to suppress a peacefully ongoing 16-month agitation by cutting internet access and deploying heavy force. Women displayed empty shells claiming police fired at protestors, while many families fled their homes. Farmer groups plan to lay siege to the district collectorate on December 17.

4. Land & Environmental Concerns: Farmers claim fertile land was wrongly labelled barren to facilitate acquisition, and that pollution from the upcoming ethanol plant will damage surrounding fields. They argue the factory requires enormous water consumption and falls under the red-category pollution zone.

5. Clashes at the Site & Project Details: Violence erupted on Wednesday after failed talks, with farmers storming the Rathi Khera site, tearing down the boundary wall, and setting an office ablaze. Police responded with lathicharge and tear gas as protestors torched at least 14 vehicles. The 40-MW grain-based ethanol plant is being built by Dune Ethanol Pvt Ltd under the 2022 'Rising Rajasthan' investment agreements, with authorities insisting all clearances are in place.

(With inputs from PTI)