Meet new face of farmers' protest: How 31-yr-old engineer became spokesperson

Abhimanyu Kohar is one of the spokespersons who provides daily media briefings at the Khanauri protest site on the Haryana-Punjab border. He was also a member of the 40-member Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) committee, which was formed during the 2020-21 farmers' movement against the three agricultural laws.

Edited By: Shantanu Poswal

Last Updated : 01 March 2025, 10:23 PM IST

Abhimanyu Kohar (File Image)

The India farmer protest, which has been going on, has a new increasing leader. Among the protesting farmers at Khanauri for more than a year, one young and energetic face has come to the fore. Abhimanyu Kohar, an engineer turned activist aged 31, is now a prominent representative negotiating with the central government. His experience in student politics and grass-root activism has made him a significant voice in the protest.

Kohar is one of the main spokespersons who briefs the media on a regular basis at the Khanauri protest camp, which is situated on the Haryana-Punjab border. He was also part of the 40-member Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) committee that was constituted during the 2020-21 farmers' protest against the contentious farm laws. He is now known as one of the main persons to explain to protestors why it is important to get Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 23 crops from the government.

Who is Abhimanyu Kohar?

Kohar is connected to Dalewal via the Haryana-based Bharatiya Kisan Yuva Union, of which he is the president. He comes from Chhinoli village in Sonipat, Haryana, and is a member of SKM (Non-Political), Dalewal's faction. His fluency in both Hindi and English has made him a powerful voice of the movement.

From engineering to student politics

Kohar graduated as an electrical engineer in 2016 from Deen Bandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal. He turned down a fat job offer from an MNC despite it. He said, "I preferred to remain a farmer because, by then, I had already begun emerging as a student leader."

His role in the farmer movement

Kohar started working with farmers of Haryana in 2014 when the NDA government, under Narendra Modi, promulgated the Land Acquisition Ordinance. It was then that he chose to leave a corporate life and focus on farmers' rights. He was the national president of the youth wing of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh, which is led by Shiv Kumar Kakka, during the 2020-21 farmer protest. Later on, in 2022, he was appointed as the president of the Bharatiya Kisan Yuva Union. Kohar disclosed that his family never pushed him into getting a job in a company, as they are themselves farmers and are well aware of the cause he is struggling for.