40 detained over protest against ethanol plant in Hanumangarh

As farmers continue their protests against the construction of an ethanol plant at Tibbi in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district, police detained over 100 people in connection with the violence on Thursday, December 11, 2025, and detained 40 of them. Approximately 30 families living near the power plant site left their homes out of fear.

On Wednesday, several protesters and police were injured when tensions turned violent and the crowd clashed with police after setting fire to some vehicles and looting the factory building. Congress MLA from Sangaria, Abhimanyu Poonia, suffered head injury during lathicharge.

The 11-member farmers’ delegation held talks with the district administration on Thursday, demanding a halt to factory construction, a judicial inquiry into the violence and withdrawal of cases registered against protesters. Hanumangarh Collector Khushaal Yadav said that the demand statement will be sent to the State government.

Tension in the region escalated as farmers and local leaders of Opposition parties gathered at the Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Tibbi. Karanpur MLA Rupinder Singh Kooner, Youth Congress district president Karan Saharan and two other Congress party workers were detained at Binjbaila Mandi bus stand on their way to the meeting.

Farmers, who have been opposing the construction of the factory for more than a year, claim that it will cause air pollution and water poisoning in the region and turn large areas of agricultural land barren. All India Kisan Sabha leader Mangej Choudhary said this would create a livelihood crisis for local farmers.

However, Dune Ethanol Private Limited, a Chandigarh-registered company that has set up a 40 MW grain-based ethanol plant in Rathikhera village at a cost of ₹450 crore, has maintained that the project will support the Centre’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme.

Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena in a statement said that the land for the proposed factory was allocated during the previous Congress regime after a memorandum of understanding was signed. “Congress MLAs are now attacking the factory site along with farmers. While farmers’ concerns are valid, attacking the factory is not justified,” Mr. Meena said.

While farmer groups said they would not allow the factory to operate unless environmental clearance and consent of local residents were obtained, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel described the incident as a “political game” sponsored by the Congress. Mr Patel said a large number of people from outside Rajasthan were involved in violence.

Senior Congress leader and former Prime Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the Bharatiya Janata Party government is suppressing the farmers’ movement by detaining Congress leaders. “The arrogance of the BJP government is at its peak. The government is running a dictatorship instead of listening to farmers,” Mr. Gehlot said in a post on X.