Farmers' Body SKM Plans District and Tehsil Protests on 23 October

The farmers' body Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called protests at district and tehsil level across India on 23 October 2026, when farmers will submit memorandums. The plan was reported on 13 October, after the SKM said on Monday, 12 October, that it backed a protest in Delhi by youth activists.

Reports differ on what the day is for. The Tribune ties the protests to the Delhi demonstrators, while ZoomNews and PTC News describe them mainly as protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The SKM has also set a second date, 26 November, for a wider agitation.

Who the SKM Is and What It Has Campaigned For

The SKM was formed in November 2020 as a coalition of more than 400 farmers' unions. It was set up to oppose three farm acts that the central government introduced in September 2020, and it used satyagraha, or nonviolent resistance, as its method. Its member unions come from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states, and include regional factions of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), the Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha and the Krantikari Kisan Union.

The SKM has held eleven rounds of talks with the government. It has sought repeal of the three laws and legislation guaranteeing minimum support price (MSP) for 23 crops. The August 2026 charter reported by ThePrint also seeks a legal MSP guarantee, as described below.

The coalition has a seven-member coordination committee, which as the Wikipedia entry lists it included Yogendra Yadav, Balbir Singh Rajewal and Darshan Pal. The seven-member presidium named in the 2026 reports is the same size.

What the SKM Has Announced for 23 October

The Tribune reports that farmers will hold protests at district and tehsil levels and submit memorandums, as part of nationwide demonstrations. Its headline describes nationwide demonstrations on 23 October, while its text places the protests at district and tehsil level. PTC News says the call came from a meeting at Jat Bhawan in Karnal, Haryana, which a seven-member presidium chaired.

ZoomNews calls the day a massive nationwide protest against the SIR. It reports that representatives from 17 states attended the meeting and that the SKM resolved to intensify the farmers' struggle and organise extensive protests in New Delhi and across the country. The Tribune's quote places the 23 October protests only at district and tehsil level, so the Delhi element rests on ZoomNews.

The Tribune quotes Rakesh Tikait, a Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader, speaking to the media after the meeting. ZoomNews lists a seven-member presidium of Ashok Dhawale, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Rakesh Tikait, Rajan Kshirsagar, Dr Suneelam, Jagtar Singh Bajwa and Joginder Singh Nain.

PTC News lists Punjab attendees at the Karnal meeting as Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Jagmohan Singh Uppal and Gurmeet Singh Bhattiwal, along with five others. Ugrahan's name appears in both the PTC News and ZoomNews reports.

What the SKM Is Reported to Demand

ZoomNews lists the demands the SKM has put forward. They include a law guaranteeing minimum support price at C2 plus 50 per cent, a complete debt waiver, the rejection of free trade agreements and ₹25 lakh compensation for families of farmers who died by suicide. The list also seeks pensions and insurance for farmers, a halt to electricity privatisation, cancellation of the Seed Bill 2025, protection of land rights for farmers and tribals, non-implementation of four labour codes, restoration of MGNREGA and cancellation of the SIR. Together the items cover farm prices, debt, land, electricity, seeds, labour, pensions and rural employment.

The Tribune names only demands tied to the Delhi protest, so the wider list rests on ZoomNews.

An SKM charter submitted in August 2026, as ThePrint reported on 10 August, includes several of the same items. It seeks a legal MSP at C2 plus 50 per cent, repeal of the four labour codes, 200 days of MGNREGA work at ₹700 a day and ₹25 lakh compensation for families of farmers who died by suicide. It also asks for a ₹42,000 minimum wage.

Tikait and the SKM on the Delhi Protest

The Tribune quotes Tikait as saying the SKM has always supported agitations and will stand with those raising their demands. ZoomNews attributes to the SKM a statement that protest is a fundamental right.

The Tribune says the 23 October protests are meant to show support for youth activists in Delhi. PTC News describes the same day as support for students opposing the SIR of voter lists, so the group being backed is named differently across the reports.

The reports agree on the venues, district and tehsil centres, and differ on the cause.

The reports of the 23 October plan describe protests at district and tehsil centres; none mentions a march into Delhi.

The 26 November Plan

The Tribune reports that farmers from the National Capital Region will protest in Delhi on 26 November, while farmers in other areas will hold demonstrations at the divisional commissioner level. PTC News reports a nationwide protest that day, including New Delhi, with state units choosing their own locations.

ThePrint reported in August 2026 that the SKM had warned of intensified nationwide agitation from 26 November. The SKM described the August action as bringing together different sections of working people against government policies. The SKM claimed the mobilisation drew farmers, workers, students and other groups, with protesters at several places breaking barricades and staging sit-ins before being arrested. The SKM said the struggles would continue until all demands were met, and CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby called the action a historic success.

What the Viral Clip Shows: A 2021 Video

A video shared online as a march of farmers into Delhi is footage from the 2021 protests, according to a NewsMeter fact-check published on 10 October 2026, which rates the claim false or misleading. The 2021 protest included the Republic Day tractor rally of 26 January 2021, when tens of thousands of farmers protested against three central farm laws and marched into Delhi on tractors and horses.

NewsMeter matched key frames from the clip with a Firstpost article and an AFP report, both dated 27 January 2021, which documented the 2021 march and the Red Fort incident. The fact-check was published three days before the SKM's plan was reported on 13 October.

The reports of the 23 October plan describe protests at district and tehsil centres; none mentions a march into Delhi.