Women agitators recall one year of struggle

New Delhi: ONE of the largest modern-day agitations completes one year on November 26, as thousands of Indian farmers continue to protest at the bordering areas of the National Capital. Bizz Buzz visited Singhu border, the largest site of protesting farmers, on Friday to assess the situation on ground.

While some choose to mark the day as an occasion of victory for the movement, others observed it as a day to remember the struggles and sacrifices of the farmers who lost their lives during the course of agitation. Around 300 tractor trolleys arrived at Singhu-Kundi border on November 25 with approximately 5,000 farmers. With a strength of total 10,000 protesting farmers at the site, Singhu Border on November 26 looked jam-packed. To observe and observe loss of 750 lives, a candle light vigil was organised at the border site of Singhu-Kundli in the late evening.

What made the gathering on the one-year anniversary unique is the overwhelming participation of women protestors who sat at the front of main stage to hear their fellow brethren recapping the events that have taken place during the course of 12 months. According to senior leaders, over 1,000 female agitators from Gurdaspur and Amritsar came in on Friday night. For most of these women, this marks as a painful period as they remembered the 750 farmers who died during the course of one year.

59-year-old Vaneta Kaur from Amritsar says that movement is no longer just about the three farm laws, which now stand repealed. The latest demand of the farmers from the central government is to bring in provisions of Minimum Support Price on 23 crops, punishment to those responsible for Lakhimpur violence and repealing of bills on electricity and pollution in the current winter session of the Parliament. Vaneta says that although she is not a farmer, she will fight for the cause as agriculture is the bane of States like Punjab.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19 announced rollback of the three controversial farm laws, namely The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act-2020; Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act-2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act-2020.

"I stay at a Gurudwara in Amritsar with no family, no roof of my own. But I understand the importance of supporting marginalised farmers as they put the food on our tables. Now, I will return to Amritsar once all our demands are met," Vaneta says.

During the course of 12 months, the farm law protest witnessed many unprecedented events including unrest at the National Capital wherein a section of agitators entered Red Fort on January 26. On October 3, eight people were killed at Lakhimpur Kheri during a farmers' protest. Four more, including a journalist, were killed in violence after four farmers were crushed by a Union Minister's convoy.

As many women recalled their one-year long participation, 52-year-olds Ranjit Kaur, from Tarn Taran, Punjab, and Mahrunisha from Dum Dum, West Bengal, have harboured a friendship here at the protest site of Singhu. The two "activists" discuss the politics and protests every morning and spend their day listening to senior leaders and preparing Lungar (meals) for hundreds of people afternoon and night. Mehrunisha says that language is no longer a barrier as she has learnt the ways and words to communicate with fellow residents. "I have no children, husband or parents to look after. I entered this movement to fight for our future generation. Our agricultural practices should not land in the hands of corporates. We still have a long way to go and will not rest till Lakhimpur perpetrators are punished," she says.

Ranjit Kaur, says that while she is happy to be in the presence of her new family and friends, in the course of one year, she has witnessed death of too many young lads who died for the cause. Kaur, visibly emotional, says that she has lost four family members here at Singhu border, and one neighbour who died at Red Fort on January 26.

Another familiar face at the site is of Shamim Chaudhury, an active protestor, who says that four police complaints have been lodged against her at the local police station in Haryana. "Our movement, agitation has been peaceful since day 1. Contrary to the police complaints, I have been attacked twice by trouble makers, once in June where my arm was injured and second time in October where a JCB ran into a tent, thereby injuring my left foot," Chaudhury says.