Hundreds of farmers in the Indian state of Rajasthan have staged a dramatic protest against government land grabs: launching a hunger strike to protect their land — all while being buried neck-deep in the ground.The state government wants to build a housing project on 540 acres of farmland near Jaipur, a popular tourist city that’s expanding at a rapid rate. It says the land acquisition is legal and that “arrangements” will be made for farmers that sign their fields away.But protesters say the land feeds thousands of families that have no other source of sustenance or income. Young and old, farmers are now sitting buried up to their necks for 24 hours at a time. They hope to call attention to the issue and pressure authorities to back down.
This segment originally aired October 10, 2017, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.