5 June 2020 marked one year since the three Farm Bills were promulgated by the Indian Government. On 20 September 2020, The Farm Bills were passed in a haste in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, by a voice vote. Opposition parties and farmers’ unions protested the decision since the aim of the Bill is to push the agricultural sector in India from a government-run to a private-run sector.

The Indian Government’s actions set off one of the largest and longest ongoing protests against the State since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government came to power in 2014. Farmers’ unions have strongly opposed these Bills and demanded their complete revocation.

Farmers have occupied key sites around the capital city of New Delhi for over 7 months. They have organized peaceful marches and contestations across the country. The State has resorted to tactics of repression and violence to counter the protests. First Information Reports (FIRs) have been filed against those who have reported on the protests and the Police have arrested journalists, labor union representatives and farmers. Police brutality and custodial violence have been routinely used against the protesting farmers and against those who have been arrested. Many farmers have died by suicide or as a result of other causes during the protests, while others continue to languish in jails. Yet, the farmers are relentless in their struggle against the Government’s push for the free market to dominate an essential but already struggling sector in India.

With A year of farmers’ protest: June 2020 – June 2021, Watch the State at The Polis Project aims to highlight the farmers’ struggle and their undeterred resistance during this year-long period.