Hundreds of farmers from Punjab blocked a key entry point into Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, on Tuesday, 1 September, launching a weeklong sit-in protest centred on the demand for legally guaranteed minimum support prices (MSP) for all crops as recommended by the Dr Swaminathan Commission. The agitation, organised under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), is scheduled to continue until 7 September.

How the Protest Unfolded

Demonstrators parked their tractor-trailers on one side of the busy highway leading to Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport and pitched tents for the duration of the sit-in. The Chandigarh Administration allotted a designated protest site in Sector 48, where a large stage was erected to address the gathering. Attendance was expected to swell through the evening as additional farmers and ration supplies were ferried to the site.

Heavy security forces were deployed by both Chandigarh and Punjab administrations to prevent any untoward incident. Mohali Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said authorities would attempt to keep one lane of the two-way carriageway open to minimise disruption.

Commuters and Airport Travellers Affected

The protest site sits along a critical corridor connecting Mohali and Chandigarh, with direct impact on traffic heading to the airport. Despite the single-lane concession, travellers on this route are likely to face significant delays over the seven-day agitation period.

Who Is the SKM and What Are Their Demands

The SKM is a coalition of 32 farmer organisations, including the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Rajewal, the Kirti Kisan Union, and the Punjab Kisan Union. Notably, the BKU Ugrahan — an associate member of the SKM — is not participating in this particular protest.

Beyond MSP, the SKM's demands include scrapping all previous inter-state agreements on Punjab's river waters through a special Assembly session, restoring the state's representation in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), repealing the Dam Safety Act, and withdrawing the Disaster Management Act of 2024.

BKU Ugrahan Runs a Parallel Agitation

In a parallel development, the BKU (Ugrahan) launched indefinite dharnas on 30 August outside deputy commissioners' offices in 17 districts of Punjab, targeting what it describes as anti-farmer decisions by both the state and Central governments. Its demands differ from the SKM's, covering cancellation of the India-US trade deal, scrapping of Punjab's land pooling policy, ownership rights for tenant farmers, and a complete waiver of agricultural loans for farmers and labourers.

This comes amid a broader pattern of agrarian unrest in Punjab, where farmer groups have repeatedly mobilised since the 2020-21 farm laws agitation. The simultaneous but separate protests by SKM and BKU Ugrahan reflect ongoing divisions within the farmer movement even as their core grievances — MSP, water rights, and debt relief — remain largely unresolved. With the protest slated to run through 7 September, all eyes will be on whether the Centre or state government initiates any dialogue before the deadline.