Protest in Delhi demands rollback of gene-edited rice and wildlife compensation law

By A Representative 

Farmers’ organizations from across India have staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar, demanding the immediate withdrawal of recently announced gene-edited rice varieties and the enactment of a national law to compensate people and crops affected by wildlife. The protest, organized by a coalition of farmers, tribal leaders, organic agriculture groups, and fisherfolk, sought to highlight what they called the Union Government’s disregard for ecological and social consequences in its agricultural policies.

Participants strongly opposed the central government’s approval of two gene-edited rice varieties—DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice-1—arguing that these were approved without the environmental and safety assessments required under the Environment Protection Act. They emphasized that India has over 6,000 traditional rice varieties that are more resilient to drought and climate change and are compatible with biodiversity and organic farming. Protesters accused the government of bypassing proper testing procedures by labeling the varieties as “gene-edited” rather than genetically modified, which they warned could jeopardize the food security of 140 crore people.

The second key demand centered around the toll of wildlife attacks on rural communities. Between 2019 and 2023, 2,853 people reportedly died due to such incidents, with crop losses exceeding ₹10,000 crore annually. Protesters highlighted that victims—including small farmers, tribal populations, plantation workers, and fisherfolk—often receive no compensation, and those who survive attacks sometimes spend years incapacitated. They called for a national compensation law under Article 300 of the Constitution to address inconsistencies in state-level procedures and to treat the losses caused by wildlife—considered government property under Section 39 of the Wildlife Protection Act—as the government’s responsibility.

The demonstration was led by Advocate Eesan Murugasamy of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association and saw participation from several regional leaders including Kerala Farmers Association President P.T. John, BKU National Coordinator Yudhvir Singh, and representatives from farmers’ associations in Karnataka, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. Activists also submitted petitions to the concerned central departments, urging prompt action on their demands.

The protest followed a related session held earlier at the Constitution Club of India, where many of the same participants voiced their concerns about the impact of the government’s agricultural and wildlife policies.