Farmer Protests in India

Farmer Protests in India

Farmer Protests in India
March 1, 2021
In September 2020, India’s Parliament passed three pieces of legislation intended to make major
changes to the workings of the country’s agricultural markets, specifically by removing existing
K. Alan Kronstadt
restrictions on the marketing of farm products so as to allow farmers to negotiate directly with
Specialist in South Asian
private buyers. Government officials and pro-reform analysts in India and elsewhere contend that
Affairs
the changes are long overdue and will serve to increase both national agricultural production and

farmer incomes while benefitting consumers. Within months, however, mass opposition to the
new laws arose, with farmer groups in the fertile, Sikh-majority state of Punjab, the neighboring

Haryana state, and elsewhere in the country arguing that any rapid withdrawal of government’s
role in the country’s agricultural markets will lead to exploitation of farmers by private firms. Opponents also criticize the
new laws as having come without sufficient consultation and consensus-building.
Mass, generally peaceful farmer-led protests began in late November and have continued to date, mainly in and near the
Indian capital of New Delhi. In January, the Indian Supreme Court issued a hold on the new laws, and soon after the Indian
government announced a suspension of the laws’ implementation pending ongoing negotiations with farmer groups. The
protests became violent on January 26, a national holiday in India, attracting global attention. Indian authorities’ responses to
these and previous major protests elicit criticism on human rights grounds in a country seen by some to be regressing in this
realm. Indian officials have arrested numerous journalists and activists, requested broad internet shutdowns, and brought
pressure on social media companies, including threats to arrest their employees in India. By some accounts, the crackdown
on dissent has been excessive and reflective of a broader trend toward authoritarianism in India. The Administration of
President Joseph Biden and Members of Congress have taken note of the developments, with some among the latter group
expressing support for the protesters’ cause. Perceived backsliding in India’s democracy and human rights record may
present a challenge for the Biden Administration in formulating its policies toward India and the Indo-Pacific.
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Contents
Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 1
Agriculture Reform Laws ................................................................................................................ 2
Opposition to Reform Measures ...................................................................................................... 4
Republic Day Violence and Repercussions ..................................................................................... 5
Human Rights Issues ....................................................................................................................... 6
U.S. Government Responses ........................................................................................................... 8

Contacts
Author Information .......................................................................................................................... 9

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Overview
India is a major and growing Asian power with which successive U.S. Administrations have
pursued a broad strategic partnership since 2005. This partnership has been formally endorsed by
the U.S. Congress, including through mandates that the Executive Branch regularly report on
U.S.-India cooperation.1 The Biden Administration has referred to India as “a preeminent U.S.
partner in the Indo-Pacific.”2
Beginning in late November 2020, the Indian capital of New Delhi has seen increasingly large-
scale protests by farmers (and their sympathizers) opposed to recent Indian laws that would make
changes to the country’s agricultural markets.3 Generally peaceful for two months, protests
escalated and became violent on January 26, 2021, a national holiday in India (Republic Day),
bringing global attention to the issue. India’s Supreme Court had weeks earlier ordered a hold on
the laws, and the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi subsequently offered to
suspend their implementation pending further consultation.4 Farmer groups reject the gesture and
demand full repeal of the laws.5 Negotiations between government officials and representatives of
farmer groups have not resolved the stalemate, and the protests continue to date.6
Many analysts observe that New Delhi’s attempt to change farming policy has touched upon a
highly sensitive topic in Indian politics, given the large constituency that farmers represent.7
According to official sources, “agricultural workers” accounted for about 55% of the national
workforce in 2011;8 their average income was roughly $142 per month in 2018-2019, slightly
lower than India’s average per capita income.9 Farm work reportedly accounts for less than one-
fifth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and at least one-fifth of India’s farmers live
below the official poverty line.10 Under India’s current laws, a Minimum Support Price (MSP)
system provides a guaranteed price to farmers, protecting incomes if commodity prices fall
dramatically.11
Prime Minister Modi and his ruling party, in power since 2014 and reelected in 2019, appear to
remain quite popular among Indians, with approval ratings above 70% according to one
representative survey.12 The Modi government has sought to implement economic reform

1 See, for example, U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of State, “Enhancing Defense and Security
Cooperation with India, Fiscal Year 2018,” Joint Report to Congress, July 2018.
2 “Secretary Blinken’s Call with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar,” State Department release, January 29,
2021.
3 “Why Are Farmers Protesting in India?,” New York Times, January 27, 2021.
4 “India Puts Three Contentious Farm Laws on Hold Following Nationwide Protests,” CNN.com, January 12, 2021;
“Indian Government Offers to Suspend Reforms,” Reuters, January 20, 2021.
5 “Five Reasons Why Farmers Reject Government’s Offer,” Outlook (Delhi), January 23, 2021.
6 “Indian Protests Against Agricultural Reforms Attract New Supporters,” Reuters, February 5, 2021; “Protesting
Indian Farmers Vow to Amass More Supporters Outside Capital Delhi,” Reuters, February 21, 2021.
7 “Tens of Thousands of Farmers Protest Agriculture Laws with Blockades Across India,” Vox.com, February 6, 2021.
8 See the February 5, 2021, Indian Agriculture Ministry release at https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=
1601902.
9 “Rs6,000 Is 6% of a Small Farmer’s Annual Income, According to NSSO Data,” Hindustan Times, February 6, 2019;
see the World Bank’s India GDP data at https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=IN.
10 “India’s Farm Protests Turned Violent Last Week,” Washington Post, February 5, 2021; see World Bank data at
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS.
11 “Quixplained: What Is MSP and How Is It Determined?,” Indian Express (Delhi), October 7, 2020.
12 See “Mood of the Nation,” India Today, January 2021, at https://www.indiatoday.in/mood-of-the-nation-survey-
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measures with goals of strengthening market forces, and modernizing and growing the national
economy. The United States historically has encouraged and supported such measures, including
in the agriculture sector.13 A readout of a February 8, 2021, telephone call between President
Joseph Biden and Prime Minister Modi made no reference to the protests, but indicates the U.S.
President “underscored his desire to defend democratic institutions and norms around the world
and noted that a shared commitment to democratic values is the bedrock for the U.S.-India
relationship.”14
Agriculture Reform Laws
India’s efforts to reform its economy and further open it to market forces date back three decades,
and have accelerated since the Modi/Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government took power in
2014. Modi campaigned on and has articulated a vision for India as a strong, prosperous regional
and global power, and has undertaken a number of controversial reforms to help achieve that
goal. As one of India’s leading trade and investment partners, the United States continues to
strongly support New Delhi’s ongoing policy reforms. India’s efforts are widely viewed as being
halting and uneven, however, even as many of the changes are lauded as presenting new
opportunities for developing India’s economy and promoting U.S.-India commerce.15 Market
access and other barriers to trade with India have been long-standing concerns among some
Members of Congress, U.S. exporters to and investors in India, and successive U.S.
Administrations.16
The agricultural sector reform measures that led to recent farmer protests came via three bills
passed out of Parliament in September 2020.17 Prime Minister Modi called the development “a
watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture” that “will ensure a complete
transformation of the agriculture sector as well as empower crores [tens of millions] of
farmers.”18 A key effect of the legislation would be the removal of existing restrictions on the
marketing of farm products to allow farmers to negotiate directly with private buyers.
Government officials contend that the legislation will increase both agricultural production and
farmer incomes. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, “The reforms will
accelerate agricultural growth through private sector investment in building agricultural
infrastructure and supply chains for Indian farm produce in national and global markets, create
employment opportunities and strengthen the economy.”19 Upon passage of the legislation,
India’s Agriculture Minister said, “Farmers will now have freedom for direct marketing of their
produce and will be able to get better prices, MSP procurement system will continue, consumers

2021.
13 See, for example, the April 2004 State Department release at https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/sca/rls/rm/31553.htm;
“India Must Carry Out ‘Difficult’ Economic Reforms: Obama,” Hindu Business Line (Delhi), July 15, 2012.
14 See the February 8, 2021, White House release at https://go.usa.gov/xsrrh.
15 Ashley Tellis, “India’s Path to the Big Leagues,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 9, 2020;
Afeena Ashfaque, “U.S.-India Agricultural Cooperation,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, February 11,
2021.
16 See CRS In Focus IF10384, U.S.-India Trade Relations, by Shayerah I. Akhtar and K. Alan Kronstadt.
17 See New Delhi’s (nongovernmental think tank) Parliamentary Research Service summary at
https://www.prsindia.org/node/845725/chapters-at-a-glance.
18 See Modi’s September 20, 2020, tweet at https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1307618207092547585.
19 See the Indian Agriculture Ministry’s September 17, 2020, release at https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?
PRID=1655890.
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will also benefit.”20 Summary analysis by New Delhi’s nonprofit, nongovernmental
Parliamentary Research Service says the legislation’s aim is
to increase the availability of buyers for farmers’ produce, by allowing them to trade freely
without any license or stock limit, so that an increase in competition among them results
in better prices for farmers. While the Ordinances aim to liberalize trade and increase the
number of buyers, de-regulation alone may not be sufficient to attract more buyers.21
India’s 28 states regulate agricultural markets under the Agricultural Produce Marketing
Committee Act.22 Under this act, states can establish agricultural markets, popularly known as
mandis. The sale of agricultural commodities can occur only in the mandis through auction, and
is regulated through commission agents who mediate between the farmers and traders. Indian
economists argue that most Indian farmers are unhappy with the mandi system, seeing it as
exploitative.23 The new laws would eliminate the requirement to use the mandi system and allow
farmers to sell their produce at a market price directly to private buyers such as agricultural
businesses and supermarket chains.
The Indian government insists that the new laws will increase competition, attract private
investment, and boost farmer incomes, thus benefitting a “silent majority” of hundreds of millions
of farmers.24 Independent analysts have called for reforms in India’s agricultural system,
including reforms similar to those currently being implemented.25 One U.S.-based observer
opined, “Farmers will reap the benefits of Modi’s reforms” through “a jolt of market-friendly
common sense.”26 The leader of the New Delhi-based U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum
said the new laws will enable farmers to reach out directly to American multinational firms such
as Amazon and Walmart, providing them more choices and allowing them to become part of
global supply chains.27 However, some pro-reform economists have given mixed reviews, saying
a “piecemeal approach” that changes the market system but does not address broader agricultural
issues such as land use is unlikely be effective. Others contend that deregulating commodity
markets to allow more private investment will not work in the absence of targeted public
investment.28

20 Ibid.
21 See https://www.prsindia.org/billtrack/farmers-produce-trade-and-commerce-promotion-and-facilitation-bill-2020.
22 “India Farm Protests: A Basic Guide to the Issues at Stake,” The Wire (Delhi, online), December 11, 2020.
23 Sthanu R. Nair and Reddi Sai Shiva Janath, “How Farmers View the Existing Mandi System” (op-ed), Indian
Express (Delhi), December 12, 2020.
24 “‘Reforms Aimed at Increasing Competition’: Tomar,” Hindustan Times (Delhi, December 14, 2020; “Farm Laws
Will Ensure Better Price for Famers, Have Opened Avenues of Private Investment: Narendra Singh Tomar,” Hindustan
Times (Delhi), December 7, 2020; “Farm Reforms Will Benefit Majority of the Indian Agriculture Sector, Says
Country’s Top Economic Advisor,” CNBC.com (online), December 8, 2020.
25 “Government Unleashes Long-Pending Reforms to Overhaul Farming,” Times of India (Delhi), May 16, 2020;
“India’s Government to Meet Farmers as Thousands Protest Against Farm Reforms,” CNBC.com (online), December
3, 2020.
26 Sadanand Dhume, “Farmers Will Reap the Benefits of Modi’s Reforms” (op-ed), Wall Street Journal, October 1,
2020.
27 “New Farm Bills Will Allow Indian Farmers to Reach Out to Walmart, Amazon, Says US Trade Body,” The Print
(Delhi, online), December 20, 2020.
28 “Farm Bills: Are India’s New Reforms a ‘Death Warrant’ for Farmers?,” BBC News (London, online), September
23, 2020; Amy Kazim, “India’s Farm Reforms Fail to Tackle Growers’ Sluggish Incomes” (op-ed), Financial Times
(London), February 17, 2021.
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Opposition to Reform Measures
Farmers in the fertile, Sikh-majority state of Punjab (often called “the breadbasket of India”),
neighboring Haryana state, and elsewhere in the country contend that a rapid reduction in
government’s role in the mandi system will leave them at the mercy of market forces.29 Upon its
introduction in September 2020, the legislation faced strong opposition, including from coalition
allies of Modi’s ruling BJP.30 Among coalition partners opposed to the laws is the Punjab-based
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). That month, the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, a
SAD member, resigned in protest of the “anti-farmer” legislation.31 SAD figures and other
opponents argue that the new laws will lead to exploitation of farmers by private firms. According
to one report, “farmers fear the changes are the first step toward removing the government’s
guaranteed procurement at minimum prices, forcing them to make distress sales to private
companies.”32 A SAD press release warned that passage of the bills would “sound the death
knell” for certain job categories in the agriculture sector.33 SAD also contends that the new laws
usurp state powers and so violate India’s federalist principles.34 Reports suggest that farmers fear
private buyers who sidestep mandis will coordinate to set lower prices, and alleges that the new
laws pave the way for the government to ultimately dismantle the MSP system.35 Farmers would
see less long-term stability, in this view, and could be at the mercy of big business. Punjab’s Chief
Minister, a member of the national opposition Congress Party, claimed that these laws will “throw
the small farmers to the big sharks, where market forces will control the pricing, procurement and
marketing mechanism.”36 The absence of legal protections for MSPs in the new laws is thus a key
source of concern for many opponents who are skeptical that the government will honor
assurances to preserve those.37
Many analysts also saw the bills’ passage as having been rushed, coming after insufficient
consultation and negotiation, and lacking proper consensus-building.38 As per one commentary,
the laws were “rammed through Parliament without considering the interests and opinions of the
farmers,” and the current conflict is rooted in Modi’s “brazen arrogance” and seeming lack of
compassion for the farmers’ plights.39 One observer argues that the laws should bring positive
medium- and longer-term outcomes, but that the central government’s efforts to build consensus
with and among the states were seriously flawed.40 The Modi government has previously

29 “Why Indian Farmers Are Protesting Against New Farm Bills,” Al Jazeera (Doha, online), September 25, 2020.
30 “Indian Parliament Passes Farm Bill in Face of Strong Opposition,” Bloomberg News, September 20, 2020.
31 See the September 17, 2020, tweet at https://twitter.com/HarsimratBadal_/status/1306611139296460802.
32 “Modi Facing Battles on Farm Bills Opposed by Longtime Ally,” Bloomberg News, September 17, 2020.
33 See the September 17, 2020, SAD release at https://tinyurl.com/1ipwmjgu.
34 See the December 14, 2020, SAD release at https://tinyurl.com/g7lhnp5t.
35 “India’s Farm Protests Turned Violent Last Week,” Washington Post, February 5, 2021; Siraj Hussain, “Farm Laws:
Potential for Positive Outcomes,” International Growth Center (London) website, October 15, 2020.
36 Amarinder Singh, “Farm Bills, Silent on MSP, Will Throw Small Farmers to Big Sharks” (op-ed), Indian Express
(Delhi), September 23, 2020.
37 “India’s Government to Meet Farmers as Thousands Protest Against Farm Reforms,” CNBC.com (online),
December 3, 2020; “Quixplained: What Is MSP and How Is It Determined?,” Indian Express (Delhi), October 7, 2020;
Mihir Sharma, “India’s Angry Farmers Have Reason to Worry” (op-ed), Japan Times (Tokyo), December 3, 2020.
38 Shekhar Gupta, “Modi Govt Has Lost Farms Laws Battle” (op-ed), The Print (Delhi, online), February 6, 2021;
“India’s Lesson on Rushed Reforms for Farmers” (editorial), Christian Science Monitor, December 11, 2020; Ambar
Kumar Ghosh, “Dissecting the Farmers Protest,” Observer Research Foundation (Delhi), December 16, 2020.
39 Rana Ayyub, “Why Modi Won’t Listen to India’s Farmers” (op-ed), Washington Post, January 27, 2021.
40 Siraj Hussein, “Farm Laws: Potential for Positive Outcomes,” International Growth Center (London), October 15,
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instituted major and rapid economic policy changes at sometimes significant cost to society.41
Some Indian observers view this dynamic as overreach or even dictatorial behavior by the Modi
government, despite nominally democratic processes.42
The Modi government has earned a reputation among many in India as being business-friendly
and favorable to corporate interests.43 As articulated by one Washington, DC-based analyst, the
unrest over new farm laws “also reflects broader critiques, such as the idea that Modi governs
without consulting the people his policies affect and consistently favors big industrialists.”44
Punjab has a history of rebelliousness, including bouts of separatist violence in the 1980s. One
analyst says of the recent protests, “Punjab’s tradition of resilient defiance is on full display.”45 A
government attorney told India’s Supreme Court that protest groups have been “infiltrated by
Khalistanis [Sikh/Punjabi separatists]” or are otherwise populated by “anti-nationals.”46 Perceived
government efforts to link protesting farmers to the Khalistan movement—itself associated with
terrorism—are controversial.47 However, the larger Sikh diaspora appears to have played a role in
the protests gaining support both inside India and internationally.48 In January 2021, a Sikh-
American advocacy group called on the Biden Administration “to support Indian farmers and take
a stand on human rights.”49
Republic Day Violence and Repercussions
In the lead-up to Republic Day celebrations in the capital, protests turned more violent, with
farmers using tractors to destroy barricades and authorities responding with tear gas and other
measures.50 This “tractor march” escalation was seen as an embarrassment for the Modi
government as it came on a national holiday.51 Up to 150,000 tractors reportedly were employed,
at least one protester was killed, and Delhi police reported some 400 injured officers.52 Protesters
breached the historic Red Fort, a tourist attraction in central New Delhi, and hoisted atop the

2020.
41 These include a 2016 demonetization effort and the 2017 implementation of a Goods and Services Tax. See “Modi’s
Cash Crackdown Failed, Indian Bank Data Show,” New York Times, August 30, 2018; “Goods and Services Tax: How
PM Modi Transformed India’s Economy,” Deutsche Welle (Berlin, online), August 28, 2018.
42 “PM Narendra Modi Wants to Run Country Like a Dictator: Congress,” Indian Express (Delhi), December 6, 2020.
43 Milan Vaishnav, “Modi: Pro Business, Not Pro Markets” (interview), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
August 15, 2017; Rupa Subramanya, “Modi Risks Turning India Into a Nation of Gangster Capitalists” (op-ed), Nikkei
Asia (Tokyo), February 5, 2021.
44 Irfan Nooruddin,” Get Up to Speed on India’s New Mass Protests,” Atlantic Council, December 12, 2020.
45 Rupi Kaur, “History Shows Punjab Has Always Taken on Tyrants,” Washington Post, December 16, 2020.
46 “‘Khalistanis’ Have Infiltrated Farmers Protests, Will Show IB Inputs: Center Tells SC,” Indian Express (Delhi),
January 12, 2021; “As Farm Laws Protest Continue, NIA Sees ‘Anti-National’ Plot, Summons Activists,” The Wire
(Delhi, online), January 16, 2021.
47 “Despite Rightwing Propaganda, ‘Khalistani’ Angle Finds Little Traction,” The Wire (Delhi, online), December 2,
2020.
48 “Sikh Diaspora Drums Up Global Support for Farmers’ Protest in India,” Reuters, December 18, 2020; “Thousands
of People Are Protesting with Farmers in India,” CNN.com, December 11, 2020.
49 See the January 28, 2021, letter at https://tinyurl.com/58yj9jnr.
50 “As Angry Farmers Take to New Delhi’s Streets, Protests Turn Violent,” New York Times, February 3, 2021.
51 Ibid.
52 “As Angry Farmers Take to New Delhi’s Streets, Protests Turn Violent,” New York Times, February 3, 2021; “Home
Minister Amit Shah Visits Hospital to Inquire About Health of Cops Injured in R-Day Violence,” Times of India
(Delhi), January 28, 2021.
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ramparts a flag that is often flown on Sikh temples. This aspect led to some Indian officials again
characterizing the protests as “anti-national.”53 The next day, farmers retreated to their camps just
outside the Delhi Capital Territory, where tens of thousands remain.
Subsequently, the protests garnered new international attention. One week later, Barbadian pop
star Rihanna tweeted attention to the protests (her account has more than 100 million followers),
triggering an uproar in India. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other public figures,
many of them Americans, also voiced support for the farmers. Civil and human rights lawyers
from among the Indian-American diaspora asked the Biden Administration to ensure the
protection of protester rights.54 Some Indians expressed appreciation for the wider attention,
while others railed at “foreign interference” in domestic Indian affairs. Among the latter group
was India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which issued a statement defending the relevant
laws and denouncing “vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and
derail them.” The statement also rejected “sensationalist social media hashtags and comments,
especially when resorted to by celebrities and others” as “neither accurate nor responsible.”55
India’s External Affairs Minister himself tweeted, “Motivated campaigns targeting India will
never succeed. We have the self-confidence today to hold our own. This India will push back.”56
Increased global attention appears to have strengthened protesters’ resolve.57 For some observers,
the MEA’s response to such comments further harmed India’s efforts to bolster its international
image and influence.58
In a February 8, 2021, address to Parliament, Prime Minister Modi claimed that the farmer
protests are accompanied by “parasitic movements” and an influx of “foreign destructive
ideology.”59 Two days later, Modi invited farmers to join further negotiations, but the impasse has
continued to date.60 On February 21, as many as 130,000 farmers gathered in Punjab in continued
mass protest as their union leaders outlined plans to further mobilize farmers.61
Human Rights Issues
Indian authorities’ responses to these and previous major protests elicit criticism on human rights
grounds in a country seen by some to be backsliding in this realm. The March 2021 country rating
by Freedom House changed India’s status from “Free” to Partly Free” due to

53 “‘India Won’t Tolerate Insult of National Flag at Red Fort,’ Says Center,” Jagran (Delhi, online), January 27, 2021.
54 Rihanna’s tweet has since been hidden. Among other high-visibility figures to voice support for Indian farmers was
the niece of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (“India Hits Back at Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and Other Celebrities
After They Support Farmer Protests,” Washington Post, February 3, 2021; “Not Just Rihanna—Farmer Protests Drew
Support from Global Stars Lily Singh, Hasan Minaj Too,” The Print (Delhi, online), February 4, 2021); “US Lawyers
Write to President Biden on Farmers’ Protests, Modi Govt’s Repressive Tactics,” The Wire (Delhi, online), February
15, 2021.
55 See the Ministry’s February 3, 2021, statement at https://tinyurl.com/10v5jph6.
56 See the February 3, 2021, tweet at https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1356968427001319424.
57 “Indian Farmers to Scale Up Protests as Rihanna Weighs In,” Reuters, February 3, 2021.
58 Vir Sanghvi, “As Foreign Criticism Grows, Modi Has an Image Problem” (op-ed), NDTV (Delhi, online), February
7, 2021.
59 See the February 8, 2021, Indian government release at https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1696307.
60 “India’s Modi Invites Protesting Farmers for Talks on Farm Bills,” Reuters, February 10, 2021; “Ground Zero of
Farmers’ Protest,” Indian Express (Delhi), February 27, 2021.
61 “Protesting Indian Farmers Vow to Amass More Supporters Outside Capital Delhi,” Reuters, February 21, 2021.
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a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided
over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and
pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society
groups, and protesters.62
Perceptions of excessive use of force by authorities appear to fuel opposition anger. Observers
warn that a violent turn in protests is symptomatic of a broader threat to Indian democracy.63 Such
analysts cite as examples the Modi government’s moves to tighten its control of Muslim-majority
Kashmir and the introduction of controversial citizenship laws widely perceived as discriminatory
on religious grounds.64 Some analysts argue that the perceived erosion of India’s democracy,
restrictions on minority rights, and the increased repression of dissent create a quandary for the
Biden Administration in shaping policy its policies toward India and in the Indo-Pacific.65
Press freedoms are a particular area of concern: in 2020, Reporters Without Borders ranked India
142nd worldwide in this realm, continuing a four-year downward trend.66 During the current
protests, human rights groups accuse Indian authorities of bringing “baseless criminal charges”
against journalists who covered the Republic Day events.67 Charges brought by state governments
include sedition, promoting communal disharmony, and making statements prejudicial to national
integration. Critics warn that Prime Minister Modi’s approach to dissent “increasingly involves
stifling dissenting voices, blocking the internet, and cracking down on journalists,” and find that
Indian authorities “reflexively pull the plug on internet service, particularly via smartphone” in
locations where protests are anticipated and are asking volunteers to join police in scouring social
media to target “anti-national content.”68
Indian law prohibits the publication online of any material authorities deem as defamatory, or that
could incite violence.69 Under national law, the government can direct service providers to
suspend internet services or remove sites, among other actions. The Indian government reportedly
shut down internet access at certain times during the farmer protests.70 In early February,

62 See https://freedomhouse.org/country/india/freedom-world/2021. See also the Human Rights Watch country
overview at https://www.hrw.org/asia/india. A recent Swedish scholarly assessment of global “autocratization surges”
lists India 6th among the “main autocratizing countries” worldwide from 2009 to 2019 (Autocratization Surges—
Resistance Grows: Democracy Report 2020, V-Dem Institute (Gothenburg), March 2020).
63 “Indian Farmers: The Viral Image that Defines a Protest,” BBC News, December 2, 2020; Pratap Bhanu Mehta, “The
Real Darkness on Horizon Is the Turn Indian Democracy Is Taking” (op-ed), Indian Express (Delhi), January 30, 2021;
Ashutosh Varshney, “India’s Democratic Exceptionalism in Now Withering Away” (op-ed), Indian Express (Delhi),
February 23, 2021.
64 See CRS Report R45877, Kashmir: Background, Recent Developments, and U.S. Policy, and CRS In Focus IF11395,
Changes to India’s Citizenship Laws, both by K. Alan Kronstadt.
65 See, for example, James Traub, “Can Biden Get Tough with America’s Friends?,” Foreign Policy, February 5, 2021;
Debasish Roy Chowdhury, “How Long Will Joe Biden Pretend Narendra Modi’s India is a Democratic Ally?” (op-ed),
Time, February 15, 2021.
66 See https://rsf.org/en/ranking.
67 “India: Journalists Covering Farmer Protests Are Charged,” Human Rights Watch, February 2, 2021.
68 “Modi’s Response to Farmer Protests in India Stirs Fear of a Pattern,” New York Times, February 3, 2021; “India’s
Government is Censoring People Before They Comment,” Economist (London), February 6, 2021.
69 “What Is Section 69A in the Information Technology Act, 2000?,” Jagran Josh (New Delhi, online), June 30, 2020.
70 India reportedly has been the world leader in government-ordered internet shutdowns in recent years, with nearly 100
such incidents in 2019. There have been numerous reported shutdowns of mobile internet related to the current farmer
protests in 2020 and 2021 (see Targeted, Cut Off, and Left in the Dark: The #KeepItOn Report on Internet Shutdowns
in 2019, Access Now (undated); “Why India Shuts Down the Internet More Than Any Other Democracy,” BBC News
(London, online), December 19, 2019; “India Cuts Internet Around New Delhi as Protesting Farmers Clash with
Police,” CNN.com, February 3, 2021).
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California-based social media company Twitter at first refused to comply with an Indian
government “emergency” directive to permanently block hundreds of posts and accounts,
eliciting acrimony. Days later, Twitter acted after the government issued a notice of
noncompliance, agreeing to remove more than 500 accounts that were critical of the
government’s actions during protests, and so avoiding potential imprisonment of Twitter
employees in India. Digital rights proponents consider India’s actions to be censorship.71 New
Delhi officials rebuked Twitter for failing to comply fully with its orders to remove more than
1,100 accounts and, on February 24, the Indian government announced new rules for regulating
social media content aimed at making companies “more accountable to legal requests for swift
removal of posts and sharing details on the originators of messages.”72
On February 14, 2021, Indian authorities in Bengaluru arrested 22-year-old climate activist Disha
Ravi for circulating a document on social media in January that allegedly incited protesting
farmers to turn violent. This “toolkit document” was produced by the Canada-based NGO Poetic
Justice Foundation (PJF) and earlier disseminated by Greta Thunberg. Indian authorities claim the
PJF has promoted a separatist movement in Punjab; the NGO denies any such motive.73 Ravi was
transferred to Delhi and charged with sedition and conspiracy (India’s colonial-era sedition laws
carry a maximum penalty of life in prison). Delhi Police claim the “toolkit” was a “call to wage
economic, social, cultural and regional war against India.”74 On February 23, Ravi was released
on bail, with a judge finding no calls for violence in the “toolkit” and saying citizens cannot be
charged with sedition “due to the wounded vanity of governments.” The court also found no link
between Ravi and the PJF or between the PJF and “pro-Khalistani forces.”75 Already well known
in India’s climate activist community, Ravi has emerged as a symbol, and her detention
reportedly has stoked fears among India’s young climate activists that New Delhi is employing
increasingly aggressive tactics to quash dissent.76
U.S. Government Responses
The New Delhi government states that the reform laws were properly debated and legislated, and
are opposed only by “a very small section of farmers in parts of India.”77 The Trump
Administration did not comment publicly on India’s farmer protests. The Biden Administration

71 “Twitter Removes Accounts in India as Modi Pressures Social Media,” New York Times, February 10, 2021. A
subsequent Twitter statement said, “We have not taken any action on accounts that consist of news media entities,
journalists, activists, and politicians,” in the belief that doing so “would violate their fundamental right to free
expression under Indian law” (see the February 10, 2021, release at https://tinyurl.com/3y8ujcch).
72 “India Warns U.S. Social Media Firms After Dispute with Twitter,” Reuters, February 11, 2021; “India Tightens
Regulatory Grip on Facebook, Whatsapp with New Rules,” Reuters, February 25, 2021. Twitter is now among those
major social media companies—including Facebook, WhatsApp, and others—that have clashed with New Delhi over
freedoms of expression (“Twitter Is Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place in India,” CNN.com, February 10, 2021;
“Twitter in Standoff with Indian Government over Free Speech and Local Law,” NPR.com, February 18, 2021).
73 “In India, a Climate Activist’s Arrest Shows Shrinking Space for Dissent,” Washington Post, February 18, 2021; see
the PJF’s February 6, 2021, statement at https://tinyurl.com/42mfwz9e.
74 “India’s Arrest of Activist Tied to Greta Thunberg’s Movement Sparks Outrage,” Reuters, February 15, 2021; see the
February 14, 2021, Delhi Police tweet at https://twitter.com/DelhiPolice/status/1360913826644848641.
75 “Court Grant Bail to Disha Ravi, Says Citizens Can’t Be Jailed for Disagreeing with State Policies,” Times of India
(Delhi), February 23, 2021.
76 “Detention Stokes Fear Among India’s Young Climate Change Activists,” Financial Times (London), February 19,
2021; “The Arrest of This Activist Should Put India’s ‘Democracy’ Title in Question” (editorial), Washington Post,
February 24, 2021.
77 See the February 3, 2021, External Affairs Ministry release at https://tinyurl.com/10v5jph6.
Congressional Research Service

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Farmer Protests in India

first commented directly on February 4, 2021, when a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in New
Delhi reportedly said:
We recognize that peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy, and note
that the Indian Supreme Court has stated the same. We encourage that any differences
between the parties be resolved through dialogue. In general, the United States welcomes
steps that would improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector
investment.78
Indian media appeared to focus more on the statement’s endorsement of the country’s market
reform efforts than on the support for peaceful protests. In late December 2020, seven Members
of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the then-U.S. Secretary of State to “express
serious concerns regarding ongoing civil unrest in India” and urge him “to contact your Indian
counterpart to reinforce the United States’ commitment to the freedom of political speech
abroad.”79 At least two other Members later commented separately.80 On February 5, 2021, the
Co-chairs of the House India Caucus met with the Indian Ambassador, where one Member “urged
the Indian government to make sure that the norms of democracy are maintained, that protesters
are allowed to protest peaceably and to have access to the Internet, and to journalists.”81

Author Information

K. Alan Kronstadt

Specialist in South Asian Affairs

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and
under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
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78 Quoted in “US Welcomes Farm Reforms, Says Peaceful Protest Hallmark of Democracy,” Indian Express (Delhi),
February 4, 2021.
79 See the December 23, 2020, letter at https://go.usa.gov/xsrWn.
80 See https://twitter.com/RepJimCosta/status/1356737481857785858 and https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/
1357088420443602944.
81 See the tweet at https://twitter.com/BradSherman/status/1357827848921354240.
Congressional Research Service
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