Latest developments - with 40 updates. Saturday 6th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. 73rd day, Farmer death toll - 206, Farmers missing - 123 (source Trolley Times)
2. Balvinder Singh went missing in Delhi on 26th January Tractor parade. He was later found dead in Delhi Hospital with injuries to his face. Delhi police said he had met with an accident. His family got booked for ‘Insult of National Flag’ because they wrapped his body in national flag during his last rites. Family said "We believe farmers are fighting for the country, like soldiers at the border. Balvinder was a martyr for the farmers' cause. A funeral is a sacred ritual. It was a patriotic gesture." Govt thinks otherwise. Source TOI.
3. A Sikh farmer from Punjab who has been at the morcha since the beginning, hugs his 2 sons who took leave from their Indian army posts to meet him. There no better example of the gulammi of Punjabis under Delhi rule.
4. Karnataka farmers reach Ghazipur border, Kodihalli meets Tikait. 4,000 protesters from state to join ongoing agitation after February 6.
5. Sikhs in Kurukshetra hold Chakka Jam by feeding locals langar on the highway. Police not sure what to do so go and eat langar. 😃
6. Thousands of city dwellers come out for farmers. Scenes of candle light vigils at almost every major junction in Chandigarh this evening. Children, women, students all on the roads standing in solidarity with #FarmersProtests. It's not just villages, definitely not just farmers protesting.
7. People expressing support for #Farmers in Mysuru were arrested.
8. Many states in India were at a standstill as millions supported the Chakka Jam today. Pictures available from every state in India.
9. After BJP cut electricity to morcha sites. Farmers now have brought in generators & solar panels on the protest sites. Most of the generators are donated by villages by collecting 200/- per head. Total number of generators at Tikri Border is approx 23.
10. 40 Farmer Union leaders have been called for questioning by Crime Branch Delhi. They have been told to appear at CB office at 2pm.
11. To intimidate farmers 30 notices have been sent out to farmer leaders of UP in last 24hrs. Most leaders have been asked to sign surety bond to ensure lawful behaviour
12. Delhi police detained people protesting against the farm laws. The citizens of Delhi were protesting against the farm laws at Shahidi Park area.
13. 75 former civil servants have written a letter to Centre reiterating that demands of farmers be heard & solution be arrived at. The letter has called the behaviour of govt as great injustice & govt as intolerant to dissent.
14. Delhi police has deployed extra 50,000 policemen to keep watch on #ChakkaJam . In addition to this social media posts are also analysed.
15. CNN reports on the Farmer agitation: The farmers face challenges -- the cold winter temperatures, clashes with police and security forces, and restrictions on their internet access, among others. Despite that, farmers say they have no plans to leave until the government overturns the laws.
16. Sky news - More than half of India's 1.3 billion population work on farms, but agriculture contributes to only about a sixth of the country's gross domestic product.
17. ITV news - India’s government has been accused of cracking down on free speech ahead of another farmers' protest this weekend. Media platforms, dissenters and activists have also come under unprecedented attacks from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
18. Dr Sharandeep Singh on the BBC I discussed the huge India #FarmersProtest happening right now. “As an NHS doctor with family in India, I worry about growing human rights abuses and state violence. Sadly the BBC amplified Govt propaganda to malign those of us speaking up for democracy”
19. YouTube removed Kanwar Grewal and Himmat Sandhu's songs after report from Indian govt. The videos are now banned in India.
20. Meena Harris, niece of US Vice President when attacked by BJP IT cell responds saying, “Dude, I’m Hindu. Stop using religion as a cover for fascism.”
21. #freenodeepkaur is now getting international support and momentum.
22. Dr Swaiman Singh in the morcha site has asked on Twitter for ideas on how to switch to summer shelters as season is starting to change.
23. Farmers surrounded BJP minister SomParkash & Teekshan Sood in Hoshiarpur who went out to campaign for corporation elections. Previously farmers had dumped cow dung on his driveway.
24. Shiv Sena slams BJP in Parliament over their treatment of farmers.
25. Twitters farmers activists question, “Will the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Indian celebrities now ask UN Human Rights to not interfere in our country's internal matters ? The UN Human Rights has sent a stern message to the Modi government not to violate human rights!!!
26. Ravi Bhalla, Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey has written a very strong letter addressed to United States President, Joe Biden, Vice President, Kamala Harris and Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken. He provides a detailed summary on the farmers agitation in India and advocates the need for the United States to defend Human Rights.
27. Karen Goh, Mayor of Bakersfield, California makes video statement supporting our farmers.
28. Hollywood stars like Susan Sarandon now come out for farmers.
29. Sachin Tendulkar Loses Thousands of Punjab and Haryana Fans.
30. Actor Ranvir Shorey mocks Greta Thunberg in a song, calls activist 'uneducated'; says Rihanna is a 'bahana'
31. Celebrity godman Sadhguru like Ramdev sing the BJP line. Observer posts previous quotes of theirs about human rights which show their hypocrisy.
32. Andre Borges Tweeted, “I’m so confused why Hindutva right wing groups thought it was good idea to burn effigies of Rihanna, Greta, Meena etc. to prove that they’re not a violent mob and democracy is alive and well in India. I mean, I know violence is their go to move, but it really does baffle the mind.”
33. Actress Sonakshi Sinha joins her father to support farmers. When attacked by BJP IT cell, she concluded with a message: 'Wake up.' In the original post, the author said that people like Rihanna and Swedish activist Greta Thunberg raised their voices because of 'violation of human rights, suppression of free internet and expression, hate propaganda, hate speech, and abuse of power'.
34. Hindu leader Swami Avimukteshwara Nand, second in command to Shankaracharya of Dwarka Sharda Peeth scolds Modi for using the name of Ram for their actions. He condemns on video the Modi approach to farmers.
35. Only in Modi’s India, Trump is a Hero & Greta is a villain. Modern Fascism being exposed.
36. Disappointment in UK, as Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb keeps commenting on Hong Kong, but nothing for farmers in India.
37. The BJP man pretending to be Farmer leader on Godhi media, but is no farmer, has been given a promotion in the BJP party.
38. Sikh 24 article - As India tightens noose on @Twitter, UN asks India to protect farmers’ rights of expression and peaceful assembly.
39. Saving Punjab held a live event today on the Amazon documentary called Toxicification.
40. In Norway, having internet is now a human right. Today 4G was restored in #Kashmir after 550 days. Let that sink in.
