Latest developments - with 36 updates. Thursday 28th Jan : Be Informed, Be Active
1. Another protesting farmer has died. 56 year old farmer Sitabai dies at Rajasthan-Haryana border. She came from Ambabari village of Maharashtra's Nandurbar district on Jan 16th. On Dec 22, she was part of march against Adani in Mumbai.
2. 2 Killed, Three Injured After Water Tanker Runs Over Group Of Women In Amritsar. The group of women were going to join the sit-in being held in favour of the farmers' protests, according to Sanjiv Kumar, SHO, Vallah police station.
3. Focus of the worldwide diaspora should not be on dynamics of Rajewal, Sidhu, Sidhana, etc. They are all wanting laws removed. The focus should Adani and Ambani who want the laws, Amit Shah and Modi who facilitate the laws, and Ajit Doval who for 3 decades has used Indian intelligence services against Sikh Community.
4. A powerful eye witness account by Dr Swaiman Singh from USA is being shared. He talks powerfully about how farmers and police are pawns being used in the bigger game of BJP and these 3 laws. (Shared on my FB separately)
5. Calls from different parties and Farmers for resignations of Modi, Shah and delhi Police for their dastardly plan to trap the youth by blocking the correct routes and playing the game of telling them to go to the Red Fort. Then arresting 200 farmer youth, and damaging hundreds of tractors. Police shot Tyres and now removed engine parts so farmers unable to retrieve them. The government should be their to protect the people, not set up valid concerns of citizens in political game to glorify their party policy of enriching the super rich. The media should be scrutinizing the govt not acting as it’s propoganda arm.
6. Rakesh Tikait, the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, said that the violence is the failure of the central and UP government. Farmers were deliberately drawn into the trap, he said, adding that the agitation of farmers against agricultural laws will still continue and if the government talks, we will talk.
7. Police came to Ghazipur border to arrest Rakesh Tikait. He said he did not want any innocents to hurt. Then became defiant against Modi challenging the dastardly behaviour of BJP. He said they are falsely demonising the sikhs and they will not accept the bullying tactics of BJP. He refused to court arrest snd said the morcha will not be closed. Police had to leave empty handed as the thousands of farmers were with the farmer leader.
8. Rakesh Tikait said, “I am not a Ramdev dacoit, will I wear a salwar and walk away, I am Rakesh Tikait, the son of Mahindra Tikait, will fight till the last breath.”
9. Jaskaran Sandhu tweeted “The BJP's and UP govt's heavy-handedness at Ghazipur is a major blunder. Everyone on the ground reporting the same thing - renewed vigour from protestors. Wind in the sails across all camps, with villages across Punjab & Haryana sending more people to reinforce protest sites.”
10. Amaan tweeted, “12:48am and not a single soul is sleeping at #Ghazipur . Govt stopped water supplies from reaching here but now supplies have been brought in by villagers. Generators arranged for electricity. This is revolution. “
11. Huge contingent of farmers from Terrai area of Uttarakhand is on its way to ghazipurborder . Farmers and villagers mobilised after fearing govt misadventure aided by BJP goons. Rakesh Takait has huge following in the belt.
12. A new group from Muzaffarnagar has just arrived at Ghazipur in support of farmers.
13. Addressing a public meeting in Kolkata on Thursday, Mamata Banerjee West Bengal Chief Minister said that the party was trying to discredit the Punjab farmers by painting a couple of minor incidents during the protest as acts of terrorism. Banerjee on Thursday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party is using its network of over 50 lakh WhatsApp groups to spread fake news about what happened during the tractor rally in Delhi on January 26. (India Today)
14. The strength of the Morcha at Shahjahanpur has increased to 12-13k because another small Morcha at Durrehera was wrapped up and moved to Shahjahanpur. Locals & police had started threatening farmers at Durrehera.
15. Haryana govt has removed protesting farmers from toll plazas at Karnal and many other places. These were small protesting sites with hardly 400-500 people at the Max . 3-4 sites have been vacated. All plazas in Punjab remain packed with farmers on 127th day.
16. The two youth who were injured inside the Red Fort are recovering and better.
17. 3 old women and 2 old men have been sent home from Tikri because of poor health. They have been advised to rest.
18. Punjab continues to be on high alert and police is collecting information about activists and people supporting the Morcha. Captain is playing the same game as Centre.
19. Chilla Border has been cleared off yesterday by police. Bhagpat Morcha has been cleared off as well.
20. Some delhi police officers interviewed who said they cannot do this. We do not want to hit farmers, these are fathers and mothers.
21. After farmer leaders, FIR has been registered against Deep Sidhu and Lakha Sidhana.
22. Delhi police has barricaded the road from Singhu to Delhi side. Protestors used to walk to Delhi and again go towards Singhu protest site. Now they have been stopped.
23. BJP sent a handful of its activists to do a counter demonstration at Singhu border asking for it to removed. It was nothing more than a media spectacle.
24. Video be shared of how police shot a protestor in the Red Fort. There was no warning shot, it’s shows very poor police action.
25. Former Chief Economist of World Bank Kausik Basu tweeted, “What the Indian farmers are saying is they don’t want the reforms that were done in their name (without consulting them). To disregard their demand is to damage democracy. Surely they have the right to protest.”
26. Kanwar Grewal tweeted, “Government is so reluctant and arrogant in considering demands of peaceful farmers who are protesting for last 3 months in cold. So Government is indirectly responsible for yesterday’s violence. “
27. Abhay Singh Chautala resigns from the membership of Haryana Legislative Assembly, resignation accepted by the Speaker. He had submitted his resignation earlier in Jan citing that if laws are not repealed by 27th, his resignation should be accepted.
28. Panthic Thanmel Sangatan offer free legal assistance for the 200 arrested at the Red Fort in Delhi on 26th January
29. Congressman McGovern tweeted in favour of farmers.
30. 22 Firs registered as Sikh Twitter accounts.
31. Sandeep Singh (PanYaab) Twitter accounts was suspended, but now back up.
32. LokMarg article - ‘Govt Had Laid A Trap, Farmers Walked Into It’ covers eye witness account of the trap set by BJP.
33. The Scroll article - ‘Delhi is our capital too’: A blow-by-blow account of the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day. Attention came to be fixed on protestors hurling flags on top of the Red Fort, eclipsing scenes of Delhi residents welcoming farmers to the city. “Delhi isn’t just for ministers, it is our capital too,” said Dharminder Singh, from Patiala in Punjab. “They kept us at the border for two months. That’s not fair. We are a democracy. It is our right to protest in the capital.”
34. The BJP guy who burnt mock sikh flag , his family member already apologized to Sangat.
35. Feedback from a Punjab farmer who was in morcha. He said, “They called too many people for 26th, they have no way to accommodate them. On 26th they followed parade, it led them to Red fort. They didn’t experience any restrictions getting there on tractors and trolley. They did Langar Sewa and left. No latticharge before they left, must of been afterwards. Everyone feels Deep and Lakha are wrongly being blamed. Lots of faceless people playing games and politics, most Kisaan unconcerned and camping in. Morcha at Singhu is strong, no one going anywhere, here for long haul. The BJP guys, about 70, gone, all part of Sarkar games, which we are accustomed to. So Morcha not on knees and full of spirit.
36. Dr Amarjit Singh spoke in detail about Red Fort incident and flaws in the response by farmer leaders. He said gulami (slave) thinking will spread from generation to generation. What happened in Red Fort is the Chardi Kala of the Sikhi Spirit in Punjab and slap in the face of Modi. The good boy syndrome the farmer leaders does not rattle BJP, but the spirit of Punjab does.
