INDIA: Farmers make their voices heard

India has in recent years been home both to mass protests and heavy state repression. The trigger for the latest acts of mass protest was the introduction of three new laws on farming. The laws, passed in September after little parliamentary scrutiny or consultation with farmers, removed many regulations on the sale of farmers’ produce, changing tightly regulated markets that have for decades ensured farmers a place in which to sell their goods, in the form of state-mandated wholesale markets, and at set prices. The government positioned the changes as giving farmers the opportunity to increase their profitability by being able to negotiate higher prices, sell in a wider range of markets and cut out intermediaries. For many farmers, however, the new laws seemed to offer a direct threat to their way of life.