FIND YOURSELF
In modern times, it has become hip and trendy for people (especially youngsters) to go travelling with a view to “finding themselves” or their purpose in life.
This has become a present day myth that we need to go out in search of the answers.
Many of the great world faiths have also had monastic traditions that encouraged individuals to remove themselves from the everyday world to focus on their religious practices. Others have had practices such as living in remote forests or hills/mountains to lead a life of spirituality.
The Sikh Guru’s have questioned the need for all such practices on the basis that the universe resides inside each and every one of us.
When we have misplaced something in our home, we will look everywhere in the house for the item but never go outside. We know, what a waste of time and effort it is to even go looking anywhere else, when we are 100% sure that it is definitely in the house.
This is the philosophy that Guru Nanak Sahib has taught us. There is no need to look anywhere else but within. All the treasures of the universe are already in our soul.
Living the life of a householder and undertaking all our worldly duties, we can still maintain our inward focus on Naam meditation.
Man Rae Thhir Rahu Math Kath Jaahee Jeeo ||
O my mind, remain steady, and do not wander away.
Baahar Dtoodtath Bahuth Dhukh Paavehi Ghar Anmrith Ghatt Maahee Jeeo||
By searching around on the outside, you shall only suffer great pain; the Ambrosial Nectar is found within the home of your own being.
Vaheguroo!
Sikhi Game of love- BRIEF MOMENTS
BRIEF MOMENTS
It is said that, when Guru Nanak Sahib Jee asked his two companions, how long could they guarantee their lives would last. Their response was, at least until we travel to the next village or until tomorrow. The story then goes in to say, when Guru Jee’s companions asked the very same question, Guru Nanak Sahib Ji responded by saying, that he could only guarantee the breath that he was taking at that moment.
This teaching is a core concept within Sikhi. The appreciation that the moment of death could quite literally be anytime.
The reason this is so important is, that it is precisely this mindset that keeps one centred and focussed on Naam meditation at all times. When you live with the realisation that the moment of death could be any time, then the minds wandering ceases and all attention turns to constant Simran (remembrance of God).
Sadly, in the modern materialistic world, people are so engrossed in the pleasures of the world, that they almost completely forget this inevitably.
Guru Nanak presents this teaching in the following way.
Ham Aadhamee Haan Eik Dhamee Muhalath Muhath N Jaanaa ||
We are human beings of the briefest moment; we do not know the appointed time of our departure.
Naanak Binavai Thisai Saraevahu Jaa Kae Jeea Paraanaa ||1||
Prays Nanak, serve the One, to whom our soul and breath of life belong. ||1||
Andhhae Jeevanaa Veechaar Dhaekh Kaethae Kae Dhinaa ||1|| Rehaao ||
You are blind - see and consider, how many days your life shall last. ||1||Pause||
Vaheguroo!
Sikhi Game of love- SPOILT CHILD
SPOILT CHILD
When we visit a friend or relatives house, where they have a child who is over active and excitable, we start to feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. We often come away thinking maybe they don’t discipline the child enough or don’t they see how bad the behaviour of the child is.
The reality is that we all have a spoilt child within us at all times, in the form of our minds. Just like the insolent child, the mind also is over active and running in all directions at all times and giving its attention to things that it shouldn’t.
Central to our spiritual discipline is the effort that we need to make to bring this spoilt child under our control. We need to anchor the mind in the Shabad (word) of the Guru and stop it into whichever direction if finds pleasing.
This spoilt child is really the offspring of our egos. It is the ego and the desires of our base animal nature that cause it to run in all directions. It will only learn to sit quietly when we centre it in our meditation practice. Through Naam meditation, all the distractions that feed the ego and our base instincts will start to diminish.
Guru Ram Daas Jee puts this beautifully in the following lines.
Kaaneiaa Nagar Eik Baalak Vasiaa Khin Pal Thhir N Rehaaee ||
Within the body-village there lives a child who cannot hold still, even for an instant.
Anik Oupaav Jathan Kar Thhaakae Baaran Baar Bharamaaee ||1||
It makes so many efforts, and grows weary, but still, it wanders restlessly again and again. ||1||
Maerae Thaakur Baalak Eikath Ghar Aan ||
O my Lord and Master, Your child has come home, to be one with You.
Sathigur Milai Th Pooraa Paaeeai Bhaj Raam Naam Neesaan ||1|| Rehaao ||
Meeting the True Guru, he finds the Perfect Lord. Meditating and vibrating on the Name of the Lord, he receives the Insignia of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
Vaheguroo!
Sikhi Game of love- SAINT SOLDIER
SAINT SOLDIER
Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji has given his Sikhs instruction to be a saint soldier. What does this mean? To become a Saint we are ordered to meditate on Naam and read Gurbani (Guru’s Word). This is the internal battle with the five evils (lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego). The more we meditate and battle to conquer the mind, eventually peace and tranquillity will flood the inner being.
To be a soldier, Guru Sahib ji says be physically strong. Do wrestling, go to the gym, play sports, look after our physical being! The reason being is that when time comes (just as in history) Sikhs will be required to fight and use their strength to physically fight oppression. Also to be physically strong enhances brain power and ultimately our ability to meditate. Both Saint and Soldier qualities complement each other and are vital to our progression to purify this mind and life.
Panch smaae gurmat paaek||
Following the Guru's Teachings, he subdues the five demons, and becomes the Lord's foot soldier.
Vaheguroo!
Sikhi Game of love- FEARLESS
Fearless
Everybody fears something. Some fears are totally irrational but others are born out of our natural survival instinct.
So even if someone sees themselves as totally fearless, they are naturally programmed to fear the outcome that is likely to result from a lion running towards you.
The reality is, that we all have a mixture of small/irrational fears and the much bigger fears like death/injury etc.
The only ones that are truly fearless are the ones that have realised the fearlessness that resides within us all.
One of the basic tenets of Sikh philosophy is the recognition that fearlessness is a key quality of the timeless lord.
Those who manage to reveal the presence of the fearless lord of the universe within themselves, through the constant repetition of Naam meditation, will start to truly become fearless. The ultimate fear of death will then also vanish, as they realise that they will never actually die, as they are an integral part of the everlasting master of the universe.
The fifth Guru Sahib, Guru Arjan Dev Jee puts this very succinctly in Sukhmani Sahib as follows:
Nirabho Japai Sagal Bho Mittai ||
Meditating on the Fearless Lord, all fear departs.
Prabh Kirapaa Thae Praanee Shhuttai ||
By God's Grace, mortals are released.
Vaheguroo!
FARMERS UPDATE 16/2/21
Latest developments - with 23 updates. Tuesday 16th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. DSGPC lawyers bail 6 more farmers today. The farmers were detained by the Delhi Police on January 26 in connection with the incident. DSGPC said, “Our lawyers are fighting the cases of the farmers very closely. By the grace of God, we will soon be able to grant bail to the rest of the heroes as well”.
2. Deep Sidhu's police remand has been extended for 7 days.
3. Rakesh Tikait has said that surprisingly all crop prices increase but sugarcane price for farmer remains constant. Is farmer immune to inflation? He said govt owes more than 12,000cr to farmers which is unpaid.
4. Many farmers have not been paid for sugarcane for 2 years. How much more debt can they be put under? In which industry would you not get paid for product supplied 2 years earlier and still expect to be in business.
5. Tikait has said that unions are willing to talk and for that prime minister doesn’t have to necessarily appear in the meeting.
6. Farmers brought a system to cook food using steam. It’s a quicker and cheaper way of cooking food.
7. New tents on morcha sites being erected to prepare for summer.
8. Rotation of farmers continue as jatha s from different villages replace each other.
9. A new Jatha of farmers will be leaving for delhi from villages Bal Kalan and Bal Khurd. The sarpanch of the village Bal Kalan said that they are done with sowing of crops now & that all farmers & their families haven’t failed in the fields contrary to what Govt media shows.
10. India gets international condemnation for sedition cases. Rational people around the world realize how crazy BJP is acting.
11. Record google searches by youth in India about leaving India, as more realize that having any opinion expressed can be dangerous in this surveillance state.
12. Many activists and human right groups have called upon Indian govt to release #ReleaseDisha and #NodeepKaur.
13. 17 Tamilnadu youth groups pledge their support to youth activist and #DishaRavi. They say, "we will not be silenced, and will ramp up our support to farmers and Disha."
14. Former Supreme Court judge says the ‘toolkit’ which is being used by the Delhi police to arrest climate activists did not promote violence or carry anything seditious. Organising protests or tweet storms are not sedition.
15. Protest for Disha and standing up for farmers at Mysore Bank Circle, Bengaluru, Feb 15 at 4 pm!
16. A complaint seeking registration of FIR against Haryana Minister Anil Vij for "his hateful statement calling for the killing of Disha Ravi on Twitter" filed in Bengaluru.
17. 30 days after Republic TV Arnab Goswami is caught knowing national secrets, buying judges and bribery of rating agency, he is not arrested of charged. But a young female activist is charged for edited a google doc.
18. In what could actually be called a toolkit, Maharashtra police has said that names of BJP IT cell people & Malviya have come forward in investigation on Celebrity Paid tweets by Centre Govt in response to Rihanna. Celebrity bank accounts to be looked into by Maharashtra police, as they are against BJP agenda.
19. Indian agencies use BJP sympathizers in western countries to take out “Triranga marchs”. Aim is to counter the pro farmers marches. Then they use Godhi media to create artificial conflict. For example in Sydney Australia, they said they are ending the March at Glenwood Gurdwara.
20. In vancouver, the Bjp sympathizers use Godhi media to accuse pro farmer groups of surrounding Omni news reporter, which is completely false.
21. It’s all to deflect the narrative away from Farmer bills because BJP know they lost that debate, so they make the narrative about hyper nationalism, Indian flag, and foreign influence. They know this will make many flip to their side as siege politics in saffronised guise is always their last resort in India.
22. Then Godhi media and Indian journalists twist their incitement to blame Punjabis abroad in Canada, UK and Australia. Already news articles in Canadian press pushing agenda. “In an outreach message to the diaspora in Canada, India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Ajay Bisaria wrote: “We are also concerned at reports that Indian citizen and friends of India who have expressed their views in support of the farm reforms in India have been targeted and subjected to intimidation, threats of violence and calls to boycott or disrupt their business. Reports of threats, including violence and rape, against Indo-Canadians were received from the Greater Toronto Area, Metro Vancouver, Calgary and Vancouver“. It’s a continuation of games by Indian agencies. Focus to create a lot of distractions so now nobody is talking about Ambani and Adani and close links to Modi as they asset strip India. We have to bring focus back in this narrative.
23. So it’s important to not get caught in the distraction intentionally caused by BJP. Instead focus on those farm bills and Adani and Ambani. This is where the global diaspora should focus. Please watch excellent video by Bhen ji Harmeet Maan on her Instagram page “creativemannco”. Link below.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CLVHrJRhjMD/?igshid=wckas8m41xea
FARMERS UPDATE 15/2/21
Latest developments - with 33 updates. Monday 15th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. Parvinder singh (46) of village Goreya has committed suicide. He had come from Singhu border recently to take away more people from his village. It is said that he used to remain sad and expressed fears about elders at Morcha. Family says that he was feeling helpless. The toll on mental health on protesting farmers is not being discussed and support is needed.
2. DSGPC - Nodeep Kaur’s Bail in second FIR granted by the court. We are trying to get her the Bail in 3rd FIR as well. With Waheguru’s blessings, she will soon be released from Karnal Jail.
3. Punjab Women’s commission Chairperson Manisha Gulati has been denied permission to meet #NodeepKaur by Karnal Jail superintendent. This establishes that Nodeep is still beaten & assaulted in Jail. Denying right to meet is unconstitutional. #ReleaseNodeepKaur
4. A motorcycle rally was taken out in Amritsar today in support of #NodeepKaur . 2500 motor motorcyclists of the city participated in the rally. The rally concluded at Baba Deep Singh Ji’s Gurdwara.
5. Massive Kisan Mazdoor Rally in Khammam (Tilangana) against agricultural laws.
6. Arvind Kejriwal will be attending Mahapanchayat in Meerut. Mahapanchayat expected to have huge turnup.
7. Huge farmer rallies in Meerut and Bijnor today. Thousands expected to join.
8. Tractor rally to be organised in Jalandhar from 12-3pm. Around 10,000 tractors expected to join. Traffic police has issued directions for people in case of jams.
9. Conditions at morcha site are tough. Farmers sending their own water tankers, since Delhi govt stopped water at the site.
10. Punjab and Haryana has a very high yield per hectare of land due to one of the most fertile soils in India. For both Wheat and Rice, it is nearly double compared to most of the other states and is even tripple to few.
11. Punjab has one of the least communal violence in India. One of the least casteist violence against SC/OBC. It is only because Punjab remains Sikh majority state. Once this is no longer the case. It will join the other states. See graphic below.
12. In Amritsar, Gurdwaras of villages are acting as one point stop for incoming and outgoing farmers. Details of all farmers are noted. Gurdwaras have started collecting Air coolers. Some farmers are making specially designed refrigerated trolleys as well.
13. Amaan met some local farmers who had gone to Singhu and Tikri borders. They say that Sri Akaal Takht Sahib has always been guiding light to the Morcha. The Dhaadi Jathas talk about farmers everyday
14. "Hardeep Singh Dibdiba has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking an independent investigation into his grandson Navreet Singh's death" who was martyred on 26Jan2021 at age 25.
15. Member of Muslim Personal Law board Mohammad Sajad Nomani was at Singhu border. He wanted to leave for Namaz. But then Nihangs invited to offer namaz in makeshift Gurudwara. You can see Guru Granth Sabib in Bus while Muslims offering namaz next to it.
16. Fresh non bailable warrants issued against against Nikita Jacob and Shantanu in social media amplification campaign to amplify farmer voices. Aim is to silence anybody supporting farmers.
17. Disha Ravi motivation to become a climate activist stemmed from watching her grandparents, who are farmers, struggle with the effects of climate change.
18. BJP Minister Anil Vij calls for killing of Disha. The hate speech has been normalised by this regime. This is how this nation treats its people who disagree with ruling party’s decision.
19. BJP supporters tweeting in a sick crowd mentality of how Disha will become pregnant as they applauded sexual violence against female activists. (See attached pic of tweets).
20. She has been sent to police remand by judge, despite her lawyer not being present which is against due process. BJP know they have been unable to debate the farm laws, so construct numerous conspiracy theories, they demonize any youth in favour of farmers as anti-national, when it reality they are just anti-BJP.
21. Mass commentary on Twitter, What’s app and clubhouse of situation being so bad that parents are scared and tell kids not to express any opinion on any cause on social media as it might get you into trouble. Let’s face it, if being a climate change activists is anti-national, then which activist is safe to express an opinion. By silencing activist voices, BJP rhetoric in India never gets challenged. This is textbook fascism.
22. High caste Hindu youth were silent when Muslims, sikhs, Dalits were attacked, but now they are waking up to being arrested for supporting farmers or climate change. Many on clubhouse admit they are scared or struggling to comprehend this.
23. 3 other students are being sought by Delhi police due for just being in a zoom call with Disha. They used guilt by association against Disha, now using that with those associated to Disha.
24. Wall Street Journal and news outlets carry the story of Disha. Now that Trump is gone, many people realizing how fascist Modi has become.
25. An FIR was filed by a member of the Bharatiya Janta Party, Alexis Sudhakar, in the cyber crime cell demanding action against the Tamil Actress Oviyaa who tweeted with the hashtag ‘go back Modi’ on February 13.
26. BJP might be trying to use ‘tea’ as conspiracy item from a social media campaign but it hasn’t even lived upto its promises made to tea plantation workers. After PM’s speech the tea workers will launch an agitation as they feel that PM has fooled them.
27. The Wire : More than 40 lawyers of south Asian descent have written an open letter to US President Joseph Biden, asking him to take note of the farmers’ protests and the methods of repressing it taken up by the Centre. The letter is also marked to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Weldon Meeks, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission chairmen James P. McGovern and Christopher H. Smith, and Chair of US Commission on International Religious Freedom Gayle Manchin.
28. British Colombia Premier John Horgan writes to Trudeau in favour of the farmers.
29. Today's Sky Kids FYI with a report on the #farmersprotest, from 2mins 30 secs for the feature by the FYI team.
30. Time magazine article - How Long Will Joe Biden Pretend Narendra Modi's India Is a Democratic Ally?
31. BBC article - Indian farmers' protests: Why they matter to British Indians
32. Bloomberg article - Modi’s Fight With Farmers Is a Pivotal Moment in India’s Growth
33. Meanwhile Khalsa Aid continues to provide repeat in Uttarkhand. RSS and 4 million recruits, it’s hyper nationalist Godhi media are nowhere to be seen.
FARMERS UPDATE 14/2/21
Latest developments - with 32 updates. Sunday 14th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. Our brother, Lakha Singh Sidhana location was raided this morning by Police, but he had already left. Badal owned PTC Channel ran a story that he was arrested, by its not true.
2. 1 lac bounty was placed on him. Sidhana an Ex Gangster turned Social Activist has been arrested today. Another prolific capture and Govt attempts to stop the power of the Youth. Sidhana has become very well respected at the grassroots level over the last few years, including in his role as the president of the Malwa Youth Federation, an organization dedicated to the revitalization of Punjabi culture and youth. In 2017, Sidhana was arrested for leading a group of youth to paint over state highway signs that were written in Hindi and English but left the Punjabi ones untouched. People trust him. Sidhana says two things shook him out of the life of a paid thug - Vahiguru and books. He talks about how during stints in jail he read Sikh history books about Bhagat Singh and Banda Singh Bahudar. It was a near-death encounter when a bullet entered the back of his head that showed him that the gangster life is not what he wanted for himself.”
3. The Badals are desperate for Lakha to be killed or in jail, as he openly speaks about their crimes against the Panth since 1978.
4. Amritsar has recorded only 34.2% polling till now in the first half of the day (Nagar Nigam Elections). Most people don’t want to vote for duo of Akalis and Congress. AAP faring well. BJP in 4th & last position. People in Punjab wanting youth like Lakha and others to come forward and new options, they have no faith in these old parties.
5. After Bapu Gurmukh Singh and Bapu Jeet Singhs release on bail. There are still :
6. Total Arrested — 143
7. On Bail — 5
8. In Police Custody — 2
9. In Jails — 136
10. Farmer leaders has said that they have met AAP leader Raghav Chadha & have demanded that all prisoners be kept in one jail to make it easy for families and legal help to be made easy.
11. Prem Singh Bhangu head of legal cell of farmer unions met Ranjit Singh the Sikh who was brutally beaten and arrested by Delhi Police. According to Bhangu, Ranjit is doing great.
12. A farmer has hanged himself in UP after being slapped by Power Dept officials & served inflated electricity bill in several thousands. This is no country for farmers. The other day UP CM Yogi spent lacs in advertising how he is helping farmers.
13. Update on #NodeepKaur - Punjab Women’s commission chairperson Manisha Gulati has met Home Minister Amit Shah to appraise HM about the human rights violations committed against Nodeep.
14. Modi Govt has got Twitter to closed the account of Gurpreet Singh artist, who has been doing a lot of artwork in favour of the farmers and been in the morcha.
15. Another massive Maha Panchayat today. More scheduled over next few day’s.
16. Baaz news - Freezing Rain Does Not Stop Philadelphia Solidarity Farmers Protest. Despite the threat of a winter storm, some attendees traveled to the Gurdwara from New Jersey and New York by a bus organized by volunteers
17. Farmers trade unions in France write to express solidarity.
18. Teachers Unions in BC, Canada write in favour of Farmers protests.
19. Punjabi community in Stockholm thanked @GretaThunberg for support to the farm protests.
20. Many observers are saying that India is using soft power of its production of Covid vaccines. This is being used to maintain silence from western countries on the fascism in India.
21. Many farmers have now dug their own toilets around morcha sites, since Delhi police barricades stopped them access to toilets, water, medications, electricity and wifi.
22. Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV has served a cease and desist notice to media trade portal BestMediaInfo.com asking it not to publish a news report claiming that several companies had cancelled advertising contracts with the channel since October, the website reported on Friday. “The brands apparently acted after BestMediaInfo.com published a news report (dated September 28, 2020) about advertisers asking news channels to stop broadcasting toxic content,” the website claimed. “The news report led to a wider discussion on the subject, with more advertisers echoing the same views.”
23. Delhi Police Cyber Cell arrested 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi from Bengaluru on 13th February for her alleged role in spreading 'toolkit' related to farmers protest. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
24. In an immediate response, Karuna Nundy, an Indian supreme court lawyer, tweeted: “Disha’s the daughter of a single mother. Allegations of criminality are ludicrous, to arrest in such a case more so.”
25. Disha Ravi broke down in court room and told judge that she had merely edited two lines in the toolkit and was supporting farmers. What is wrong in that? This is how this nation treats anyone who spreads awareness.
26. Reports show that Disha Ravi was sentenced to Police remand by the judge before her defense lawyers turned up. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ The Indian judiciary like its media is a complete failure.
27. In a fascist state arrest, the Delhi police used Pegasus to track and found climate activist student in Bangalore. Delhi police swooped upon her and has 5 days of police remand and we know how young women are treated appallingly in Police custody.
28. BJP groups and tweets are targeting international activists like Rupi Kaur and others with rape threats if she comes to India. Clubhouse discussions focus on suppression of freedom of speech in India, in particular the role of Godhi media creating a hate narrative and young activists are being targeted as a result of this hate narrative of Godhi media.
29. The Guardian article - How Hindu supremacists are tearing India apart. For seven decades, India has been held together by its constitution, which promises equality to all. But Narendra Modi’s BJP is remaking the nation into one where some people count as more Indian than others.
30. People running the Farmer movement in Hisar took out a candle march in memory of the martyrs of the Pulwama attack.
31. Candle light march at Singhu border in memory of martyrs of Pulwama attack.
32. Lastly I will attack pictures of artwork by Gurpreet Singh artist who’s Twitter account was blocked at the request of India.
FARMERS UPDATE 13/2/21
Latest developments - with 26 updates. Saturday 13th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. While many know about 200 farmers passing away, many are not aware that 4061 sikh youth have been booked under UAPA. An appalling statistic that shows huge organised repression of sikh youth during these farmers protests.
2. 143 farmer protestors have now been arrested. Many have been severely tortured. During 1978 -1995, many sikh youth who were arrested returned home disabled due to torture, or did not return home.
3. While in Tihar jail @mandeeppunia1 met many innocent farmers who’d also been illegally arrested. Their wounds is very serious due to police torture. These farmers were innocent protestors & had no business being locked up. Sometimes the farmers would cry- but their spirits remained unbroken
4. 80 year old Gurmukh Singh & 70 year old Jeet Singh were released today from Tihar jail due to legal assistance from DSGPC. Both said they were beaten and tortured inside. Both are former Indian soldiers who fought in Indo Pak wars. But both now retired are farmers.
5. Very thick fog at morcha sites today made conditions very difficult for farmers and families.
6. Massive crowd saw performance of Kanwar Grewal at Gadri Gulab Nagar, Tikri Border. Promoting Unity among different unions and motivating people to join protest. A large gathering of local people along with protestors are a proof of the movement growing day by day.
7. Many farmers concerned that morcha does not go into Vaisakhi as many will have to return for harvest. At the moment many fields are being attended to by bibian or extended families.
8. In Punjab the farmers are still facing the shortage of Bardana. Sheller association is playing the blame games with govt and farmers or their families/ workers who are on the fields facing troubles. The govt and sheller associations are laying waste all the hard worrk done by farmers and making them suffer financially.
9. The numbers continue to swell at Bahadurgarh after massive Mahapanchayat yesterday. Large number of people expected on weekends from Punjab via trains.
10. Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal has being caught on video making fun of the death of more than 200 people who have lost their lives so far in the farmer movement. He mocks their commitment to the cause.
11. As per reports Haryana BJP Chief Minister Khattar govt is planning to bring a law which will penalise the protesting farmers for losses incurred to Haryana govt due to protests. It’s ironic as he was the person who had the motorways dug up and brought huge amounts of police against the farmers, now he wants to farmers to pay for it.
12. Delhi Police Commissioner chaired an important meeting to review the situation on the borders of Delhi ie Ghazipur, Singhu, Tikri and Shahjahanpur.
13. #FarmersProtest has entered day 143 in Punjab. A protest march led by advocate Lakhbir singh was taken out in Amritsar near golden gate.
14. Supreme Court bench with CJI has sought replies on delay in payment of dues of Rs 15,683 crores to sugarcane farmers. Please know that sugarcane farmers have been protesting for FRP (Fair & remunerative price). Farmers of West UP are majorly impacted.
15. Rakesh Tikait has said that Mahapanchayats have rattled govt and that this is a beginning. He also announced his intentions to organise Mahapanchayats in Gujarat.
16. Sikh PA - "Police should shoot them" These are the words of BJP politician Nand Kishor Gurjar (pictured), said recently in regards to the farmer protesters in-and-around Delhi.'The farmers who are sitting are hundred percent terrorists. The police should shoot them' - quoted by Indian media outlets from a video Gurjar spoke in. We share this as an example of what influences the state perpetrated violence towards the #FarmersProtest. This was said in a video by Gurjar in which he demanded an end to protests. He is one of many high profile Indians, including Bollywood stars, provoking violence towards the protesters.These kinds of statements are regularly directed towards minority communities (or movements driven by/in support of minorities) in India.
17. Vocal MP Claudia Webbe wrote a full page article in Morning Star supporting on farmers protests. She has faced a lot of hate as a Leicester East MP, but has stood strong for farmers. The article - The international community must show solidarity with Indian farmers. As socialists, we must stand alongside workers who are resisting the undemocratic imposition of even more extractive forms of capitalism and neoliberalism. “It is also important that we recognise the role of Britain in materially supporting violence and oppression across the globe. Britain was the world’s second-biggest arms exporter behind the United States over the past decade. Orders worth £11 billion were won by UK arms manufacturers in 2019 alone, which represents 16 per cent of all weapons sold across the world in that year. Britain has licensed £550 million worth of arms to India since May 2015.”
18. Meanwhile in Germany, Farmers are protesting against the corporatisation of agriculture & new environment laws that mandate them to be slaves of seed mafia. Agriculture issues are global.
19. Some of B.C.’s most powerful unions are throwing their support behind protesters in India amid growing concerns about censorship of the social media movement in solidarity with those farmers.The B.C. Federation of Labour (BCFED) has planned a car rally and protest for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Surrey at Nordel Way and Scott Road.
20. According to media reports, Deep Sidhu and Iqbal Singh were brought to the Red Fort to recreate the January 26 events and the involvement of Deep Sidhu. The Delhi Crime Branch attempted to understand the events that took place on Deep Sidhu.
21. Baaz news - Koo, the Indian Twitter alternative, has gotten into controversies right at the beginning of its big moment, including a data leak row and the revealing of having a Chinese investment.
22. Many UK citizens are waking up to BJP fascism in Tory party, with appalling remarks by Home Minister Priti Patel on Black Lives Matter and taking the knee. Many calling for her resignation on social media. As one anti racism campaigner stated, “The biggest victory of racism is to have a token brown person churn out and try to normalize racist policies and statements.”
23. Sikh Council UK tweeted, “We would like to thank @pritipatel for being honest in her opinions on #BLM, we wouldn't expect anything different from an admirer of #RSS & #MODI. Would she now also endorse the views of #Modi that protestors are PARASITES?”
24. Haryana Jaat leader Hawa Singh Sangwan gave a public statement that he is leaving Hinduism to embrace Sikhi with 300 of his supporters. They are going to Siri Akal Thakht Sahib on 21st April.
25. Ravi Singh Khalsa Aid said,”The hate from the right wing indian fanatics motivates us to do more for humanity..... ! Their hate for minorities is nothing short of the Nazi ideology!”
26. Lastly below are some pictures dedicated to the children of the morcha.
FARMERS UPDATE 12/2/21
Latest developments - with 20 updates. Friday 12th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. Nihang Singh Baba Kashmir Singh Ji has passed away at the morcha in Singhu border. Baba Ji was responsible for langar Sewa and been carrying this Sewa at the morcha since December 2020.
2. Due to international pressure, bail has been granted to 80 year old farmer Gurmukh Singh and 70 year old Jeet Singh. Both served in Indian army in the Indo Pak war, but as veterans they have been shown no respect, instead tortured at Tihar Jail. DSGPC lawyers helped them. They will be released tomorrow due to paperwork issues.
3. Nodeep has been granted bail in one out of the three FIR’s on her. She has got bail on FIR from dec 2020, another FIR number 25 was earlier rejected by court. DSGMC will submit bail petition on remaining two FIR’s as well to free Nodeep.
4. An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit Tajikistan on Friday night, sending tremors in Delhi-NCR, Jammu, Uttarakhand, Lahore and parts of Uttar Pradesh.
5. A sikh at the morcha has been repairing the shoes of the street children for free.
6. Farm leaders know 50% of India’s population work in agriculture. Many are too poor to come to Delhi, do more Maha Panchayats are being scheduled.
7. Another massive Maha Panchayat today. This policy of going to the regions allows farm leaders to educate snd motivate the population.
8. Farm leader Rikesh Tikait attended a massive #Mahapanchayat at Bahadurgarh today, he said that “We will march nation-wide, go to Gujarat & set it free. It's controlled by Centre. India is free but people of Gujerat are imprisoned. If they want to join the movement, they are jailed.”
9. Farmer Suicides are a big issue in Indian agriculture that govt is steering clear off with its eye wash policies. Implementation of Swaminathan report will relieve the stress on farmers but govt is adamant on taking away the basic safety net of MSP as well. Farmer named Ajeb Singh (55) took his life by jumping in a canal in Haryao village of Punjab.The farmer owed 15lacs to two banks that he had taken for tractor & seeds in 2018-19. His son Kuldeep Singh said that family owns 2.8acre of land & is lost land from 3.2 acres due to debt. It is important to understand that farmers anywhere in india are not subsidised enough that govt can take away the safety net of MSP unless the prices of pesticides, seeds, machinery are regulated. No Kisan credit card can save the lives. Kisan credit card is death warrant. (Amaan)
10. Dr Vandana Shiva tweeted, “The #GreenRevolution was the reason for #farmersprotests in Punjab in 1984. It continues to be the context for the protests in India today. It increased rice & wheat but destroyed our soil & water -millets, oilseeds , pulses & rich biodiversity of crops.”
11. Labour MP Claudia Webbe has received horrific abuse on Twitter for standing in solidarity with Indian farmers, who are protesting against a new law that would see their incomes ravaged by big business. Some of the responses read: “Ugly N***** wydling,” “Black bitch,” “Keep you [sic] f*cking nose out of my country” and “I stand with chimps.”London deputy mayor Rajesh Agrawal also tweeted criticism of Ms Webbe’s support, which he deleted after The Skwawkbox approached the mayor’s office for comment, according to the online publication. Appalling behavior from the London Deputy Mayor Rajesh Agrawal.
12. The Indian government is cracking down on independent media, such as NewsClick, amid massive protests against highly contested agricultural laws. "The main idea of doing this is to send a warning .. to say that you guys are not immune," says @PSainath_org.
13. Time magazine article - The Farmers' Protests Are a Turning Point for India's Democracy—and the World Can No Longer Ignore That.
14. After Simranjeet Singh article in Meena Harris tweeted, ““This is not just India’s fight. In a world grappling with rising authoritarianism, propaganda, human rights abuses, and anti-democratic practices, quashing right-wing nationalism is in everyone’s best interest.”
15. The Guardian article - Roaring crowds, roti and Rihanna: the view from a Delhi farm protest camp. As rhetoric rises on both sides, Indian farmers at the Singhu camp say they are going nowhere.
16. UK BJP supporters start an online petition against Sikhs supporting farmers. The petition asks for their OCI cards to be removed so they cannot visit Punjab and their loved ones.
17. *Annihilation of Caste* is a new discussion series from the Panth-Punjab Project featuring Bahujan thinkers and activists from across the subcontinent.Register for the first session with Gurdeep Singh, president of the Ambedkar Students Association (Punjab University).
18. Canadian NHL match player has a picture supporting farmers protest.
19. A Godhi media outlet tried to take a shot at @BaazNewsOrg by saying they appear too well "organized" and "funded". BJP struggle with farmers and sikhs being educated and capable of presenting a truthful counter narrative to their dirty propoganda.
20. Many sikhs in UK are waking up to the bias reporting in the BBC. The responses people are receiving to complaints submitted to BBC about the reporting of Farmers but Geeta shows no acknowledgement of concerns if those complaining. Many were upset that infamous India today reporter Lovleena Tandon was in the reporting. She is well known in Uk for hate reporting in sikhs. One particular incident where she complained to Charity Commission about Singh Sabha Gurdwara Slough having a Khalistan sign. This gurdwara has had that sign since 1984, like many western Gurdwaras. It’s the choice of the Sangat what signs they put in Gurdwara, not the choice of Mrs Tandon and Indian Government. Sikhs in UK question how BBC is maintaining neutrality, when it’s allows right wing reporters like her to drip-feed untrue references to “Sikh extremism” on BBC when there is none, but no discussion on fascism of BJP and Modi with so much evidence of it. Very poor from BBC, especially Geeta Gurmurthy who allowed such bias reporting.
FARMERS UPDATE 11/2/21
Latest developments - with 26 updates. Thursday 11th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. On her Birthday, Nodeep to her sister that she needs lowers, t-shirts and some other basic necessities for 20 women inmates. She is speaking up about conditions for female prisoners. The prison too cannot ristrict her from her basic principle of ‘serving the people’.
2. Punjab Government tweeted, “Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister @ArunaC_Official urged the National Women Commission to immediate intervene for releasing Nodeep Kaur, whose medical examination conducted after her arrest revealed injuries on her body and private parts.”
3. Three more people have been arrested by Delhi police in connection with 26th Jan. Gurprakash, Rajendra Singh, Gurjeet Singh. All 3 are arrested after analysis of videos of Burari region.
4. Massive crowds at attended Mahapanchayat at Jagrao Mandi. Approximately 30,000 attended. These Maha Panchayats allow the poorer farmers to come out in support.
5. 50% of India’s population are connected to agriculture. But many are so poor, they are not getting the news of protests in many states. However through the Maha Panchayats many are finding out about the effects of these laws.
6. BJP Punjab leaders get surrounded and hit by women. They have avoided villages, but even city dwellers are turning on them.
7. Akal Youth stop BJP campaigning in Rajpura area.
8. BJP Amit Shah tries to bribe Bengali farmers, 'Will credit Rs 18,000 in your bank accounts if you bring BJP to power,'
9. Every opposition party has blasted Modi in parliamentary debates. Many speeches go viral, especially Muhua Miotras.
10. Update on the death of Navreet Singh- Delhi Court issued a notice in plea seeking a court-monitored investigation by special team in connection with the death of Navreet Singh on Jan 26 during tractor rally. Hopefully Delhi Police’s half baked story will be demolished.
11. Uk MP Tanmanjit Singh Dhesi again raises the farmers protests in parliament, aswell as the case of Bhenji Nodeep Kaur. He said all 650 Uk constituencies has had signatures on the petition. He called for the Parliamentary debate to happen as soon as possible.
12. Delhi University student March in solidarity with farmers and those arrested.
13. Hemkunt Foundation, United Sikhs & Khalsa Aid have installed water purification plants at various borders of Delhi for the agitating farmers.
14. Economic Times - Overall, a total of 1,34,516 suicides were reported in the country in 2018, showing an increase of 3.6 per cent in comparison to 2017 when 1,29,887 people ended their lives, the report said.
15. Uk largest trade union Unite today held a 2 hour webinar on India’s farmers protests.
16. Randeep Singh MP tweeted “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The leaders discussed Canada and India’s commitment to democratic principles, recent protests, and the importance of resolving issues through dialogue.” This account snd BJP account of the conversation differ as they make no mention of the farmers protest.
17. Huffington Post - Celebrities get behind Farmers Protest. ‘The world is now watching and that has caused extreme embarrassment for the Indian government,” said Jindi Singh, national director for Khalsa Aid Canada, a humanitarian organization supporting farmers on the front lines. “We have to keep amplifying the story, trying to keep it in the media, putting pressure on our local politicians, to remind India of its human rights obligations to allow people to not only peacefully protest but also the freedom of movement.”
18. Canada Global news - Many B.C. residents are feeling familiar fears as tensions rise in India, over ongoing farmers' protests, triggering traumatic memories of the 1984 Sikh massacre.
19. Hindustan Times - Actor Kangana Ranaut has hinted that she might quit Twitter soon, and move to 'homegrown' app, Koo. Kangana has faced multiple account restrictions recently, and has had certain tweets removed for violating Twitter guidelines. Her sister Rangoli Chandel's account remains permanently suspended for promoting hate speech.
20. Kangana Ranaut joins other BJP hardliners to call for Twitter to be banned in India.
21. Other Indians on Twitter called out BJP as their new app Koo App is actually registered in China instead of USA. Hypocrisy of BJP is clearly evident as BJP banned TikTok as it was registered in China.
22. India continues to silence the voices of the farmers. YouTube has blocked music videos such as the song by famous Punjabi singer Kanwar Grewal titled 'Ailaan' which was related to the farmer protests. YouTube has placed a notification on the original video, saying "This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government". A YouTube spokesperson said in a statement: "We comply with valid legal requests from authorities wherever possible, consistent with our longstanding policy and act quickly to remove identified content".
23. Ofcom has received 414 complaints against Arnab Goswamis Republic TV interview of Kangana Ranaut.
24. Sonakshi Sinha, who has expressed solidarity with the protesting farmers, has now shared a poem as a tribute to them.
25. Newslaundry - Conservative MP Bob Blackman tweeted out an infographic replete with inaccuracies and ‘blatant misinformation’ about farmers protests. On February 5, 2021 Blackman tweeted in support of the three farm laws at the centre of the farmer protests, quoting an infographic headed “A [blithering] idiot’s guide to India’s Agri reforms”. Newsluandry responded , ““What you referred to as a ‘very useful guide’ is in fact misleading, factually inaccurate and, in parts, downright false. It is likely that you have been poorly briefed and put out this tweet without questioning its factual accuracy.” “We invite you to consider the following and withdraw your tweet. In view of the huge engagement your tweet received - 38,000 likes and 19,000 retweets as of noon on February 6 - we ask that you also issue a public apology for the misleading tweet.“ Then news laundry did a point by point response ripping apart the propoganda put out by BJP via MP Bob Blackman.
26. India tells outsiders not to interfere in their internal affairs. Then why are they interfering in discourse in UK by spreading propaganda via UK conservative MPs.
FARMERS UPDATE 10/2/21
Latest developments - with 39 updates. Wednesday 10th Feb : Day 75 of Delhi Farmers Protests : Be Informed, Be Active
1. Satpal Singh (45) s/o Magar Singh Of village Morh Khurd passed away while he was taken to hospital. He was at Tikri Morcha since December 12, 2020. Satpal Singh has 2.5acres of land.
2. Another farmer Darshan Singh has passed away at #SinghuBorder . He belonged to Moga & was part of the movement since Jan 5th. Heart attack is the cause of death.
3. Iqbal Singh has been arrested by Special cell of Delhi Police. Iqbal singh is the third arrest after Sukhdev Singh & Deep Sidhu. Iqbal Singh too had a bounty of 50,000 on his head.
4. Rawal singh who escapes from Nangloi when police was picking up boys reveals that they were all arrested ‘fraudulently’ without any evidence & were stamped with rioting charges.
5. Two friends Dilshan and Navjot from Mohali’s Hasanpur village went to participate in tractor march.They went missing on 28 January after some people attacked Farmers at Singhu border.3-4 days after the incident their families got information that they were arrested by Police.
6. Twitter is locked in a battle with the Indian government after it was ordered to take down accounts supporting the ongoing farmers' protests. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government demanded the social media site take down more than 1,100 accounts and posts it said accused the administration of trying to wipe out farmers. Twitter refused to take down the accounts. The social media giant says it has principles of "defending protected speech and freedom of expression".
7. Twitter has expressed concern for the safety of its employees in India after the company’s refusal to comply with a demand from the Indian government to remove more than 1,000 accounts connected to the farmer protests in the country.
8. Modi's trolls are fuming and calling for a national ban of Twitter.
9. Kangana and other Modi supporters are moving to their new app called Koo app. It’s the BJP version of Twitter. It will allow them to delve deeper into their hate filled paranoia of the world. Similar to how Trump supporters used Parlour and we know how that ended.
10. Lakha Sidhana appears in a new video calling on all youth to support the protests and come out to Delhi. He said govts always try and scare you to turn away from protests, do not allow them to create infighting and division.
11. Opposition parties of India have maintained consistent pressure on the ruling party. Opposition in Lok Sabha said that govt needs to shun its arrogance & should talk to farmers.
12. 50,000 attended Kisan Mahapanchayat in Iglas, Aligarh today. These Maha Panchayats continue to rattle BJP.
13. Newsclickin Farm Laws: Despite Allahabad HC Order, UP Farmers Served Notices for Personal Bonds After a mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar at least 200 farmers linked to the farmers’ protests received notices asking them to sign personal bonds worth Rs two lakh to “ensure peace”.
14. Not only is this in violation of what Allahabad court has pronounced regarding notices but is also invasion of privacy of farmers. People are tracked in villages & records of whoever joins protests are kept to harass them. Turns out Yogi Ji is not able to handle dissent as well.
15. United Sikhs installed RO water pump at Tikri for protesting farmers.
16. Delhi police put CCTV at Tikri border to keep eye on farmers.
17. UK MP Tanmanjit Singh Dhesi tweeted, “Alarmed to learn about the sexual assault and torture allegations in police custody of Punjabi trade unionist #NodeepKaur, who after 4 weeks hasn’t even been granted bail. Abuse of peaceful India #FarmersProtests activists, especially women, is an affront to democracy and civilised society.”
18. DSGMC has decided to fight the case. The lawyer of DSGMC Harinder Singh Bains has met Nodeep in Jail & has taken her statements. Nodeep’s family has confirmed that DSGMC will carry forward the case.
19. Tomorrow is the birthday of our sister Nodeep Kaur.Lets keep making her famous. #ReleaseNodeepKaur
20. SAD Delhi has submitted a letter to Sonipat Police demanding release of #NodeepKaur . SSP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said that Case is the court & that police is helping family be in touch with Nodeep. He said that human rights violations will be investigated as well.
21. Baaz news - Joti Kaur: White House Stance On Indian Farmers Protest Has Sikhs Expecting More. U.S. President Joe Biden shared his stance on “democratic norms” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first call since inauguration
22. Business Today - Adani Group completes acquisition of 23.5% stake in Mumbai Airport; to hike ownership to 74%. Adani Airport Holdings (AAHL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, has acquired 23.5 per cent equity stakes in Mumbai International Airport from ACSA Global and Bid Services Division (Mauritius) for Rs 1,685.2 crore.
23. The Express - Boris hails 'golden Brexit bonanza' in £23bn India deal. THE UK has agreed to a new multi-billion trade agreement with India to boost Britain's "outward-looking" stance across the world, it can be revealed this morning.
24. Above article is what we knew that Boris is doing everything to ensure he complied with BJP to get a trade deal. This includes ignoring farmers protests and farmers deaths, ignoring questions in Parliament by MP Tanmanjit Singh Dhesi, ignoring the fact Jaggi Johal us spent his 34th birthday in prison without charge, and targeting 3 UK sikh youths for extradition.
25. 6 Canadian MPs write to their govt to be more vocal to support farmers.
26. U.S. State Representative, Rashida Tlaib writes to support our farmers and also highlighting the increasing Human Rights concerns.
27. Uk MP Zarah Sultana tweeted, “Modi's new laws have provoked the #FarmersProtest, one of the largest ever protests.Set to benefit from the laws are Modi's allies, like Mukesh Ambani, one of the world's richest men & a Tory donor. The super-rich have class unity. We need that too. Solidarity to the farmers!”
28. Uk MP for Peterborough Paul Bristow speaks in favour of farmers.
29. Thank you NBA Champion, Matt Barnes for standing with our farmers in a video statement.
30. Widely watched in USA, the Daily Show by Trevor Noah covers the Farmer protests in latest issue.
31. Ontario MP Gurrattan Singh tweeted, “Peaceful farmers have died, been arrested or have gone missing during the #FarmersProtest in India. Protestors, like #NodeepKaur, have been unlawfully detained & brutalized. Calling on the Indian Gov to end their violence against peaceful farmers & to free all political prisoners
32. Times Group files Rs 100-crore defamation case against ‘Newslaundry’ for videos on TV anchors. Replying to the notice, ‘Newslaundry’ said that the comments made about the anchors were factually correct and not defamatory. It’s another attempt to silence media sources that do not tow the Modi line.
33. Indian government attack on @newsclickin is a violation of all the basic norms of press freedom articulated in the @UN Charter of 1945. Newsclick offered the most comprehensive coverage of the farmers revolt; it is being punished. Indian Government’s crackdown on media continues amidst the growing farmers protests. The Enforcement Directorate’s raid on the office of Newsclick and on the residences of its editors came in the backdrop of sedition charges filed against several veteran journalists whose reporting on the farmers’ protests had been critical of the government. All media positively covering the Farmer protests are being targeted.
34. Punjabis protested in freezing cold in Alberta, Canada in solidarity with farmers.
35. Jaskaran Singh Sandhu, Director of Administration for WSO breaks down the ongoing #FarmersProtest in India on Canada Tonight with @Ginella_M.
36. Lord Inderjit Singh of Wimbledon - Will the UK Government condemn the violation of Human Rights by the Indian Government?
37. While farmers are sitting on borders of Delhi, Punjab govt has failed to provide the packaging bags for ride to its rice mills due to which tonnes of rice will rot away. Sheller association says that govt isn’t willing to provide the promised number of bags used for packing.
38. SGPC has unanimously passed resolutions demanding 1) Demand of repeal of the three laws. 2) Release of all the farmers from jails. 3) Take back cases against farmer leaders. 4) Demand for Gyan Godri Gurdwara Sahib. SGPC set to meet Uttarkhand Chief Minister later this month.
39. Lastly I encourage all Punjabis to watch the interview of Vandana Shiva discussing multinational chemical companies and the Green Revolution in Punjab, it’s resultant cancers in Bhatinda, water issues and how farmers revolution led to 1984 Battle of Amritsar.
FARMERS UPDATE 9/2/21
Latest developments - with 26 updates. Tuesday 9th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. One more farmer died at Singhu. Harender of Sewa village of Panipat died due to Cardiac arrest. Salute to the martyrs. Harendra used to get up every morning at 4 am and engage in langar service.
2. Deep Sidhu went to Sachkhand Siri Darbar Sahib to do seva, then handed himself for arrest in Sonipat. Lawyers from Punjab already coming forward to represent him.
3. Delhi Police make up a story as they do, that they had a special cell who arrested him after an investigation. Punjab police deny this. Then police said he was arrested in Zikarpur, but that was denied by Zikarpur police. He is now in Police custody for 7 day’s.
4. Irony is he was sent to police custody from "Tees Hazaari", place named when 30,000 sikh force stayed for some time, later to attack mughal emperor and to hoist same flag at Red Fort 250+ years ago.
5. Deep Sidhu has been booked by Delhi Police Case FIR No. u/s 96/2021 PS Kotwali Delhi under sections 146/148/149/152/186/269/279/353/332/307/308/395/397/427/188/120B/34 IPC; read with secs. 25/27/54/59 Arms Act; r/w s. 3 PDPP Act & s. 30 AMASR Act. It’s an extraordinary list and shows how differently BJP treats Deep Sidhu, Nodeep Kaur and other activists in comparison to the charges recieved by rich Gujarati such as Nirav Modi, Vijay Maliyas. Activists get beaten and sexually assaulted and has the highest grade of FIR’s filled, the other live a life of luxury on the proceeds of crime.
6. Many people upset at farmer leader Rulda Singh statement that it’s good that Deep Sidhu is arrested. It shows how some farm leaders like Rajinder played a tune to help BJP separate Lakha Sidhana and Deep Sidhu from the mainstream leadership, but then still have a significant following in Punjab Youth. Now it’s clear that the real discussion with happen on the table by Amit Shah from BJP and Rakesh Tikait from farmers. As Punjab had started and put most effort into morcha, now at the vital time, it’s no longer the biggest player in the talks. This will naturally be detrimental to Punjab.
7. Mahua Moitra MP from West Bengal was scathing of BJP yesterday in Parliament. Openly calling Modi and his cronies cowards. She laid out many truths of BJP hypocrisy and called for farm laws to be repealed. One of many quotes from her speech, “The farm laws have firmly established this government’s motto of “brutality over morality”
8. The speech of MP Mahua Moitra has gone viral on social media. She was praised on social media for her fearless stand inside the Parliament. She made references to leaders in Sikh history Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Sardar Bhagael Singh who conquered Delhi from Mughals in 1783. BJP only won Delhi in 2014. Do not speak to Sikhs about courage, she said.
9. She vividly pointed out BJP talks of nationalism but it’s actual contribution is zero compared to Punjab.
10. She tweeted: “But this government has miscalculated. There is a fundamental difference between cowardice & courage. The coward is brave only when armed with power & authority. The truly courageous can fight even when unarmed.”
11. If we had someone speak for Punjab like her, the people of Punjab would be much better off. Instead we have Capt Amrinder and Badals who have no backbone and no care for Punjab apart from their self interest.
12. NDTV - No Action Against Trinamool's Mahua Moitra For Parliament Speech After All. Sources say legal opinion was in favour of Mahua Moitra as she spoke about a former, not sitting, Chief Justice who currently does not count as a "higher authority".
13. Mahapanchayat in Kurukshetra today. Farm Union leaders will address the Mahapanchayat.
14. Amnesty International is not operating in India due to harassment from Hindu fundamentalists. Today it stated,”The Government of India needs to engage and listen to its people. The authorities must stop threatening, demonising, and arresting peaceful protesters and stop treating them as ‘anti-nationals’ or ‘terrorists’,” said Rajat Khosla. “Amnesty International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of activists and others who have been arrested for simply exercising their right to peaceful protest and for the government to stop the harassment and demonization of protesters.”
15. NDTV covers the case of Nodeep Kaur and Shiv Kumar due to the sikh diaspora highlighting her case.
16. NDTV covers the cases of 2 elder sikhs arrested 80 year old, former soldier Gurmukh Singh who is veteran of Indo-Pak war. Then 70 year old Jeet Singh, who was a former soldier. Both are now in Tihar Jail in Delhi which over 140 other sikh protestors. Many other protestors are missing.
17. #FarmersCallPMforDebate is Trending #1 in India.
18. Twitter seeks talks with India over order to remove accounts. India has asked the social media giant to take down 1,178 accounts it says are spreading misinformation.
19. Mahima Kaul has resigned as India Public Policy Head employed at Twitter.
20. Three youth have been released from Tihar with the efforts of DSGMC. Ramandeep Singh, Lavpreet Singh, Jaswinder Singh of Mansa have been released. @mssirsa’s efforts have helped.
21. MP Tanmanjit Singh Dhesi condemned the BJP supported group from West London called Inspiring Indian Women, who tweeted in favour of genocide of sikhs. He tweeted, “"Rather than inspiring women, their anti-Sikh, anti-Labour, anti-Congress, anti-farmer vile tries to divide communities."
22. Notably Southall MP Virender Sharma has conveniently distanced himself them but not condemned them. Why ?
23. West London observers call for police action against this BJP for hatemongering and incitement.
24. BJP’s Ashwini Sharma has been gheraoed in Ferozpur by farmers. He had gone to attend party’s ceremony in Ferozpur. Police trying to steer him out of the area.
25. Harsimrat Badal microphone is shut off in Parliament when she in her speech points out PM Modi called farmers a word meaning parasites.
26. Just when you think the Modi supporter cannot get more pathetic, they do. So the BJP supporting organization called Social Umbrella Foundation from New Delhi writes to the USA ambassador of India asking for arrest of Rihanna and her deportation to India based upon her part in a so-called global conspiracy. 🤦♂️🤦♂️
FARMERS UPDATE 8/2/21
Latest developments - with 28 updates. Monday 8th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. Manmohan Singh Galoti(63) belonging to village Galoti of Khanna has passed away at #TikriBorder Manmohan Singh had come to India from Canada during pandemic & was supporting the farmers at Tikri since 3rd Dec, 2020.
2. 75 year old Jorawar Singh went missing on 26th of January during tractor march. His daughter is crying and searching for him. His name is not even in list of people who have been arrested by Delhi police.
3. Sikh community in Fresno fund a Super bowl advert on farmers issue. It created more local news to cover the farmers protests. Sikhs thank Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer for helping facilitate the advert on farmers protest during Super Bowl in their area.
4. List of 1178 accounts submitted to twitter by GOI. GOI wants these accounts suspended. Twitter still to respond on this.
5. Navreet Singh murder by police - journalist Kulvinder Kaur writes in Sikh 24, “Two CCTV cameras were placed on the boundary next to the arch to the Andhra Education Society, which would have closely captured Navreet’s death. The protesters at the AES were determined to see that footage and wanted to confirm that it has not been destroyed yet. Building’s guard accompanied them along with police to the basement where about half an hour, farmers could not see the footage, so a technician was called out, who was sadly unable to figure out the problem. Suddenly, around twenty officials—all dressed in riot gear—entered the AES. They were led by HSP Singh, the additional commissioner of police for the Tilak Nagar division. The ACP waited outside the building while the other police officials went down to the basement room. They went down to the basement and pushed the farmers out of the room, and even dragged one farmer from the collar. One policeman grabbed the hard disk containing the CCTV footage, placed it within his chest shield, and walked out. The police officials refused to speak while declining to disclose their identities or which police station they were from.
6. Daily Post Punjabi show a video of a BJP MP who gets surrounded by locals who makes his face black and chase him off. Unclear if video is from Haryana or another state.
7. UK sikhs not happy that PM Boris Johnson tweets for Uttarkhand, but never spoken for farmers. He has intentionally always avoided the matter of the farmers.
8. Independant UK article by Minreet Kaur - My dad, ‘the skipping Sikh’, is supporting the farmers in India. Why isn’t Boris Johnson doing the same?
9. Akhand keertan has happened at Singhu border for 75 days. Daily nitnem is one all the speakers.
10. Kanwar Grewal performed at Tikri Border today. Almost every day, there are performances by Kanwar and other singers to keep the spirits high of farmers who have been here for 75 days.
11. The Guardian article - In northern California, home to a large Punjabi population, residents join backlash against laws ‘shoved down people’s throats’ by Summer Sewell
12. Uk sikhs highly offended by tweets by Twitter account “InspiringIndianwomen”. It’s tweets “Punjab needs to cleansed of lots of cobwebs .. they forgot the massacre after Indira..”.
13. Later this group deleted the tweet, but it unveiled a west london group with links to BJP.
14. Southall MP Virender Sharma realizing the massive PR disaster of being a Southall MP, then a patron and speaker at events of the group Inspiring Indian Women, that just tweeted in favour of bringing genocide on Sikh / Punjabi people. He hurriedly resigns from the group. However this does not explain why he was patron and regular speaker of a fascist group supporting a terrorist organization RSS. A huge scandal for a sitting UK MP.
15. Advocate Pavandeep Singh tweeted they are working hard to release Nodeep kaur.
16. Nodeep Kaur was due in court today. She has not been bailed on her first 2 FIR cases. Instead, there are now three false FIRs filed against NodeepKaur. Her advocate too was not aware of this. He has filed petition for bail in third case in lower court.
17. #NodeepKaur ‘s mother Swaranjit Kaur has said that she wants her daughter to be free. She said that when she saw Nodeep Kaur her feet were bleeding & she could not stand on her own, she said she could barely talk. Swarnjit Kaur says that no political party of Punjab has helped them.
18. Ontario MP Gurrattan Singh calls on world leaders to demand release of Nodeep Kaur.
19. Karen Attiah writes Opinion piece in Washington Post, ““The culture of abuse against women has been in disgraceful display: 23-year old Dalit activist and protester Nodeep Kaur was arrested and allegedly sexually assaulted by police, according to her family”.
20. Indian PM tweets, “India is very proud of the contribution of Sikhs. This is a community that has done so much for the nation. The words and blessings of the Guru Sahibs are precious.” Observers point out he said a lot but his actions never match his words. He leads a fascist regime.
21. Farmers leaders has said that Modi’s speech is an eye wash & that efforts to defame protests or protesting people are sad. SKM also hinted on the zero role played by RSS cadres in Freedom or agitations against British.
22. UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer responds to Sikh Network letter on farmers protests.
23. Conservative Party of Canada pen a letter in favour of farmers.
24. Times Now - Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh orders probe into celebrities' tweets on the farmers' stir. HM hints at probe into a possible BJP hand behind those tweets.
25. Baaz news article - Mansi Kaur: Former Members Disclose How The BJP IT Cell Is Targeting The Farmers Protest.
26. Committee to Protect Journalists - Journalists covering #farmersprotests in #India have faced arrests and legal investigations. Join us tomorrow, Feb. 9, at 10 a.m. EST / 8:30 p.m. India time for an IG live with @rupikaur_ and @mandeeppunia1 to learn about the threats journalists are facing covering the protests.
27. Over 150,000 so far sign a petition asking for Kangana Ranaut Twitter handle to be removed.
28. Despite BJP govt and it’s IT cell attacking Khalsa Aid. Khalsa Aid India volunteer team is at ground zero Uttarkhand, where people are stranded and stuck due to glacier disaster.
FARMERS UPDATE 7/2/21
Latest developments - with 25 updates. Sunday 7th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. 4 farmers passed away today. Farmer Lakha Singh (60) s/o Baja Singh of village Kalodi, Sangrur has passed away at #TikriBorder. Singh was diabetic & suffered heart attack.
2. 60yr old Sukhmandir Singh passed away at Tikri Border today due to heart attack. Sukhmandir Singh was present at Tikri since Dec 3rd, 2020. He belonged to village Dhoorkot, of district Ransingh in Moga.
3. A third Farmer committed suicide by hanging himself at Bahadurgarh Morcha. The farmer is based out of Haryana.
4. Karambir Singh of Singhwal committed suicide because of Govt’s attitude towards farmers at Tikri border.
5. 12 days after Delhi tractor rally, among the farmers still untraceable is a 75-year-old farmer from Ludhiana. “He is not in any jail, not at Singhu, nowhere,” his daughter told @AarefaJohari, crying inconsolably.
6. A large number of farmers came to attend Kisan Mahapanchayat in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana today. Fourth day of Maha Panchayats with over 100,000 at each event. Due to Delhi Police making morcha sites into concentration camps. The change of policy of farmer leaders to start Maha Panchayats is rattling the BJP govt.
7. Another Maha Panchayat in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh is also attended by 100,000 farmers.
8. RSS has criticised Narendra Modi & Narendra Tomar on their way of dealing with #FarmersProtest & have said that “arrogance of power has gone into heads of Modi & Tomar.” RSS though concerned about mandate & vote bank suggested Modi to not force the laws on farmers.
9. After Ghazipur, Farmers at Singhu too have planted flowers close to barricades.
10. Nodeep kaur case is global. It trended 2nd in India and her case was widely shared in UK and North America. To all those who tortured her, the world is watching.
11. Jaago Party has written a letter to Haryana BJP CM Manohar Lal Khattar in reference to Nodeep Kaur. Manjit Singh GK has said that he has demanded her #ReleaseNodeepKaur . She belongs to Muktsar Sahib & was arrested from Kundli on 12th Jan.
12. Sukhdev Singh has been arrested from Chandigarh today by team of Delhi Police. There was a bounty of 50,000 on him, he was named along Deep Sidhu & others in connection with 26th Jan.
13. Three youth Harpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh and Dharmender Singh (all of west Delhi) have been arrested by Delhi police late last night. Police says that they appeared in video analysis. More arrests likely. FIR’s haven’t been registered as of this minute.
14. Internet has been restored to morcha sites.
15. At Singhu border, more locals complain about police than the farmers.
16. Rakesh Tikait has said that farmers won’t move an inch and if laws are not repealed till 2nd October, new strategies will be announced. He said They'll try to do Jats vs others. Earlier, they tried dividing Punjab-Haryana, Sikhs-Non Sikh., He hailed Sikhs saying 'No better ally than Sikhs in #FarmersProtest. Government is of the corporates. A corporate will never be loyal to citizens. Corporates will lock our food grains with same level of BARRICADING as it has been done in Delhi to stop protesting farmers. They'll hoard & increase prices.
17. Farmer leaders have urged people to call on their relatives in defence forces to show support in response to NIA notices & tags of traitors.
18. Former Chief economist of the World bank, Kausik Basu tweeted, “What can be more anti-national than being anti-farmer, especially in an emerging economy where agriculture is the backbone?”
19. Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s niece has reached #GhazipurBorder to express solidarity with the farmers. She said that denying bail to #NodeepKaur is a crime against women & lower castes. She expressed sadness on harassment of Nodeep in detention.
20. 3rd veteran Bollywood actor tweets in favour of the farmers, Mithun Chakraborty tweeted, “When India is dumb and foreigners raise their voice, we should not fight but support them.”
21. West London Labour MP Seema Malhotra recommends Loveena Tandon’s views on the Farmer Protests on Twitter. This results in a huge backlash as Loveena is the notorious UK based “reporter” for Ambani owned India Today media group who accuses UK Sikhs and Gurdwaray of being terrorists. Later Semma deletes the tweet and then talks of farmers issue.
22. Conservative MP Bob Blackman appears in BJP/ RSS event on YouTube praising the fascist group.
23. Saving Punjab - Punjab, Patiala, Ludhiana and Amritsar universities reported that in 2017 during the Akali-BJP coalition goverment, the yearly average of farmer suicides was calculated to 1,107 deaths. Using these figures as a guideline we can estimate there has been 22,141 farmer suicides from 2000 to 2020. Figures are estimated to be higher as many suicides in Punjab go unreported.
24. In UK, Boris Johnson tweets for Uttrakhand, but not farmers.
25. India passed farming laws without consultation or a transparent vote. These laws impact 250m people. That’s equivalent to: 3.7 x the population of the UK, 3 x the population of Germany, 5 x the population of Spain, 4 x the population of Italy, 75% of the population of the USA. This would never be allowed in any other country, but this is Modi’s India.
FARMERS UPDATE 6/2/21
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.
FARMERS UPDATE 5/2/21
Latest developments - with 30 updates. Friday 5th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. UP Police filed FIR against mother, brother for draping farmer’s body in tricolour. Baljinder Singh, a farmer died on his way to join the farmers’ protest in Ghaziabad. Baljinder’s mother, Jasveer Kaur, & brother Gurvinder Singh have been named in FIR filed on the complaint of Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, Sehramau PS incharge. Both have been booked under Prevention of Insults to the National Honour Act, which provides for imprisonment of up to 3 years.
2. In 2016 Ravin Sisodia died of Chikungunya, his body was wrapped in the national flag. BJP leaders attended his funeral. Ravin Sisodia was one of the accused in the Dadri lynching case. Then of course Modi did and wiped his face and nose with the Indian flag. Just saying......
3. A farmer named Gurjant singh (45) s/o Jira Singh died on the spot in an accident while returning to his Ren Basera from stage area at #Tikriborder when he was hit by a bus. He was shifted to Bahadurgarh hospital but could not survive due to loss of blood.
4. India constantly recalls slogan Jai Jivan Jai Kisan, (hail army, hail farmer), then jail a 70 year old sikh farmer and an 88 year old sikh farmer who are both former Indian army veterans.
5. Maha Panchayats are now causing more issues for the BJP govt than the Morcha sites. This is the third day of these Maha Panchayats where over 100,000 people have attended. This despite the BJP Chief minister Uttar Pradesh banning these events. Despite internet blackouts and threats to remove passports huge crowds come out for farmers. Local press said these are not just farmers but all types of people are supporting farmers. It’s a major message than BJP is losing these states.
6. Haryana, Rajistan and Uttar Pradesh had huge Maha Panchayats today. Despite Delhi Police turning morcha sites into concentration camps, the Farmers message is getting out in these Maha Panchayats.
7. Mahapanchayat In UP’s Shamli. District Magistrate have imposed section 144 but still 100,00 people have gathered to participate in the protest.
8. A mahapanchayt has been called in Charkhi Dadri in Haryana on 7th Feb. Both @RakeshTikaitBKU and Gurnam Singh Chadhuni likely to attend. This is second mahapanchayat after Kandela in Jind.
9. Hundreds turn in Karnal Plaza. Authorities unable to stop the enthusiasm of people to protest.
10. United Nation Human Rights tweeted,”#India: We call on the authorities and protesters to exercise maximum restraint in ongoing #FarmersProtests. The rights to peaceful assembly & expression should be protected both offline & online. It's crucial to find equitable solutions with due respect to #HumanRights for all.”
11. In the latest embarrassing episode for BJP, Ghazipur Farmers including Rakesh Tikait plant flowers when there Modi Government planted spikes which are illegal in international law. Marigold flowers were planted.
12. Farmers will block national & state highways for 3 hours between 12 pm to 3pm as protest against #InternetBan, harassment by Govt, water & electricity cut at protest sites and anti-Farmers Budget 2021.
13. Rakesh Tikait has said that farmers had evidence & hints that few people would have attempted to spread violence at these places and that’s why Uttarkhand & Uttar Pradesh are kept out of #ChakkaJaam. They are now know how BJP goons operate.
14. Emergency and essential services won’t be stopped. It will be peaceful Jam. Chakka Jam will conclude at 3 PM after blowing horn of cars for a minute. Farmer unions appeal to people join and show solidarity with farmers.
15. When Godhi media asked why they are doing in all states but not Delhi, as farmer leader responded “we have blocked the 3 main highways into delhi for last 3 months, please wake up.” However Godhi media still using Headline that farmers not blocking Delhi.
16. Bollywood backlash begins. Farmers in Patiala told Bobby Deol and his film crew to pack up and leave Punjab. They had to stop filming and pack their trucks.
17. Niece of USA Vice President, Meena Harris tweeted, “This isn't just about agricultural policy. It's also about the persecution of a vocal religious minority. It's police violence, militant nationalism, and attacks on labor rights. It's global authoritarianism. Don't tell me to stay out of your affairs. These are all of our issues.”. She understands India better than Bollywood and Godhi media.
18. Stephen Kinnock MP, UK Labour’s Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific, commenting on the farmers protests in India, said: “We are increasingly concerned by the violent nature of clashes between the farmers and police, and the risks to essential democratic rights and freedoms. We call on both sides to show restraint, but we are clear that the onus is the Indian authorities’ to protect the farmers’ right to peaceful protest, to respect their right to freedom of assembly and expression, and to respond to any incidents of civil disobedience in a proportionate and appropriate manner. “The Foreign Secretary should raise these concerns with his counterpart in the Indian government as a matter of urgency.”
19. Celebrity reporter Mehdi Hasan does a YouTube video calling the fascism of Modi. It’s called Farmers Protest and Modi descent into Authoritarianism.
20. The Wire : Rihanna’s tweet was a huge setback for the Indian state and others trying to silence the farmer protests because it broke the monopoly of power and influence held by highly positioned stakeholders in the media and state apparatus.
21. Over the past 24hrs the following tags have been trending:
22. #StandwithFarmers ~4000 tweets/hr trending sideways
23. #FarmersProtest ~12,000 tweets/hr trending sideways
24. #HumanRights ~400 tweets/hr and trending upwards overnight
25. Unlike the modern rent a Bollywood stars for BJP who all parroted the pre-written tweets by BJP press office. More veteran Bollywood actor Satrughan Sinha speak eloquently on NDTV against BJP tactics and in favour of farmers.
26. BJP favorite tabloid website OPindia now claim khalistanis paid Rihanna 18 Crores for tweet. She is worth 550 million dollars. Not everyone behave like BJP and their bollywood poodles.
27. #FARMERSPROTEST MISSING PEOPLE HOTLINE * @unitedsikhs are helping people connect with family/friends that are "missing" since attending the ongoing farmers' protests in Delhi. We have received many reports of protesters being arrested and then "disappearing".
28. KANGANA RANAUT was on Republic TV spouting absolute venom after getting her genocidal tweet banned.
29. It's a UK broadcast. Please complain to Ofcom via: https://t.co/miI2CyiYli
30. DETAILS TO COMPLETE: Show Name : 10 Main Hai Dum, Broadcast Time : 8:30pm. Broadcast Date : 4/2/21, Broadcaster Name : Republic World, Platform : Sky TV Comments : SPREADING HATE BETWEEN AND INCITING COMMUNITIES. The main guest speaker on the show, Kangana Ranaut made claims that peaceful farmers protesting in India are terrorists and false claims that Sikh community are inciting/funding violence. She also criticised Greta Thunberg for conspiring to break and destroy India in relation to Anti-Indian forces, while mocking autism. She referred to Rihanna as a ‘porn singer’ several times. Spreading hate between and inciting communities. Link to interview: video https://t.co/X9gGhV13jH
FARMERS UPDATE 4/2/21
Latest developments - with 39 updates. Thursday 4th Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. The GDP of india has fallen as Modi makes its economically weak, but even worse Modi continues to demonstrate the moral bankruptcy of the Indian govt. We see today the morcha sites look like Nazi concentration camps, we see BJP goons burning effigies of Greta Thunberg, we see threat of 7 year Jail sentences to senior Twitter staff, we see journalists arrested, we see female activists sexually and physically assaulted, then see a protestor shot in the face, then media deny he was shot despite the wounds on video, we see thousands of elderly citizens sleeping on a motorway, which leads to 200 passing away. It’s demonstrates Modi operating india as a authoritarian fascist regime.
2. The reaction to the tweet of Rihanna has shown how vain, fickle, panicked the so called powerful BJP govt are.
3. Times of India - The Indian government on Wednesday warned Twitter to either follow its orders regarding removal of "inflammatory content" on farmers' protests, or be ready to face jail and financial penalty. The action, under the IT Act Section 69A (3), could result in up to seven years jail for senior Twitter India officials, and a financial penalty on the firm.
4. In reference to spikes in the ground. Punji sticks made from bamboo were used in the Vietnam war and some other earlier wars against enemy armies were internationally banned in the early 1980s with the ‘Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons’. Today even deadlier iron spikes are being used against our “own” farmers around Delhi.
5. Farm leader Rakesh Takait continues to draw huge crowds. He talked about internet ban has said that this is a revolution & not whatsapp game, agitation is unaffected with internet ban. He said that it’s fight for fair price of crops. He said that we won’t leave & are not intimidated by Delhi police’s nails on roads.
6. Rakesh Takait has said that chaka jaam of 6th will be outside Delhi everywhere in India. He has sought cooperation and urged people to participate in 3hr Transport strike on 6th Feb
7. On 126th day of protest in Machiwara area, a motorcycle rally was taken out by youth. The rally with over 500 motorcycles passed through 40 villages. The rally was welcomed in all villages with showers of flower petals.
8. Key meeting is underway between Amit Shah, Police Commissioner and notorious Ajit Doval. Discussions on analysis of 26th is the main agenda along with law and order conditions around the borders of Delhi.
9. Adding to human rights violations of protesting people electricity supplies are either disconnected or low phased at Tikri. This hasn’t stopped farmers & many generators have been brought in from Punjab. 17 gensets reached today at Tikri.
10. BKU Ekta-Ugrahan person said that farmers of Daun Kalan in Patiala brought a generator yesterday and now we are getting power from here. At the langar site we need the power to operate chapat-making machines. Many other volunteers have installed solar panels and are constantly bringing in diesel for the generators.
11. Many more Khaps ( gatherings) have announced March to #ghazipurborder and the crowd is expected to swell even more. Current numbers approximately close to 2.3 lacs.
12. Today there was waterlogging at Singhu, so protestors brought a water dispenser to get rid of rainwater.
13. Here is what Dissent looks like in india. If you protest in Bihar, you will not be given clearance by police for passport application (if you ever apply). If you protest in Uttarakhand you are no longer eligible for government jobs. If you protest in Kashmir you are eligible for UAPA and even extra judicial encounter. If you protest in Punjab you are stamped with UAPA. 4060 Sikh youth are facing UAPA in Punjab for merely defining Sikh narratives clearly as they are without R/L alignment. Let this sink in. Let the world know. I know lot of people who won’t speak a word on public platforms because they lose their jobs or fear authorities. I stand by you all. We will over come this. Thanks to farmers we might actually see some light on our beloved nation.” (Amaan)
14. Oldest person arrested by Delhi Police is 80-year-old Gurmukh Singh, a former India army soldier. His name cropped up in the list of 122 people arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the Republic Day violence, his family in Punjab is yet to reconcile with the shock. The oldest among those arrested, Gurmukh Singh was taken into custody on January 29 by Mukherjee Nagar police station staff. He is a small farmer from Shamaspur village in Fatehgarh Sahib district and grows wheat and paddy on his one-and-a-half acre plot of land. He has been in Delhi ever since the protest began in November 2020. The police's list of arrested includes those in their 70s and 80s. Gurmukh Singh like all others have been charged with rioting, unlawful assembly, assaulting and obstructing public servant, attempt to murder, dacoity and robbery. “He was against the farm laws since day one and wanted them repealed… he has been at the morcha at Delhi’s Singhu border since the beginning. Gurmukh retired from the Army as a subedar more than three decades ago. He leads a disciplined life and would go to the gurdwara twice a day…,” said the sarpanch.
15. United Hindu Front burn pictures of new USA Vice President Kamala Harris niece Meena Harris. She tweets to show how ridiculous they are.
16. NDTV New Delhi: Greta Thunberg's tweets on farmers have been cited in a case filed today by the Delhi Police that alleges an overseas "conspiracy" and an attempt to "promote enmity between groups". The teen climate campaigner, unfazed, tweeted that she "still" stood with farmers and "no amount of threats" would change that.
17. BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi speaks on climate and environmental activist Greta Thunberg, over her tweet on #FarmLaws. She said Greta proves farmers protest are a foreign plan against India and then condemns Greta for being nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. 🤦♂️So this lady BJP leaders blame Sweden, Kangana blames China, others BJP leaders blame USA and Pakistan. But none of them realize a farmers just want to get paid for his crop and life in dignity.
18. Dr Kamal Arora in reference to Kangana Ranaut tweets said, “ I wrote my PhD dissertation on a genocide. And spent a lot of time thinking about what exactly a genocide is. This is genocidal language. It advocates for eradicating a category of people. Please report her tweet.”
19. Twitter then deleted Kangana Ranaut tweet as it encourage genocide after thousands of complaints.
20. Twitter owner Jack Dorsey 'Likes' Tweet Asking For Emoji For #FarmersProtest Hashtag. Among the tweets 'liked' by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was one by Washington Post journalist Karen Attiah.
21. Huge numbers of people notice how the Bollywood and cricketer tweets have the same structure and in many cases the same words. YouTube videos are shared which show how BJP IT cell pays celebrities to tweet their talking points.
22. World Sikh Organization release a major report on how India targets Sikhs in Canada. WSO President Tejinder Singh said today, “The report “Exposed: India’s Disinformation Campaign Against Canada’s Sikhs ” exposes Indian interference and disinformation campaigns targeting Sikhs in Canada. In the aftermath of the farmer protests in India, we are seeing escalated attempts by actors in India to push disinformation, particularly about Sikhs here in Canada. The report reveals that a standard methodology has developed to push false narratives with respect to Sikhs in Canada. There is also evidence to now suggest that India’s intelligence agencies are active in Canada and actively target Canadian politicians and media. “
23. Thousands of farmers from Singhu border do a peaceful candle March to remember the approximately 200 farmers & Navreet Singh who have passed away.
24. The nails inserted on roads at Ghazipur are being removed. Police did not comment on the new development. This is the power of International attention. Let the world know about human right abuses in India against farmers.
25. Youngsters are taking out a march at Mayad Toll Plaza in Hisar.
26. Thousands of people from every community of Sangat are attending the last prayer of Shaheed Navreet Singh at village Dibdiba, Uttar Pradesh.
27. Tributes were paid to Shaheed Navreet Singh from stages at Singhu Ghazipur and Tikri border today.
28. Priyanka Gandhi, the last dwindling hope for a very irrelevant Congress party visits the family of Shaheed Navreet Singh.
29. Experienced journalist Surinder Singh, who is now based in USA, has made some serious exposes on his YouTube channel “Talking Punjab” about Balbir Rajewal, Surjit Dhallewal and Rajinder, and their approach Deep Sidhu and Lakha Sidhana. While we do not want to get into personalities, the last two videos he asks the 3 farmer leaders some direct questions about their behind the scenes hotel meetings.
30. A joint video statement from Toronto Gurdwaras sends a strong message to farm leaders to stop speaking negatively about youth and start to work in harmony with them. They said that further discussions with BJP must include a full release of the sikhs arrested in the morcha.
31. Mayor of Fresno, California Jerry Dyer, states his support for our Farmers in India.The City of Fresno has passed a full Resolution in support, and will announce a Proclamation from the City .
32. Advocate Amardeep Singh Dharni & 2 other senior advocates met the family members of 7 farmers who are in Tihar at the moment. These families belong to village Bhangi Nihal Singh. Necessary formalities for filing release/bail applications in Punjab / Haryana highcourts was taken. Dharni has also met the farmers in Tihar and said convinced the families that the farmers belong to entire world now. Dharni said that families are stressed due to lack of information. Out of 7, 3 farmers have their brothers in Indian army.
33. Eleven football supporter groups from across the leagues unite in support of Indian farmers; Fans to unveil banner to show unity with farmers who are protesting against agricultural reform; One group has raised more than £10,000 for a charity providing assistance.
34. American football league NFL star Juju Smith Schuster today (Feb 4) said he would chip in towards medical assistance for the farmers who have been camping out in the chilly cold Delhi weather since late November 2020. “Happy to share that I’ve donated USD 10,000 to provide medical assistance to the farmers in need in India to help save lives during these times. I hope we can prevent any additional life from being lost. #FarmersProtest” he tweeted.
35. BBC shows more news coverage on farmers protest today.
36. Tv celebrity Adil Ray tweeted, “Britain owes Punjab. Without Punjab and it’s workforce Britain would not be what it is today. Punjabis represent one of our largest communities. If our politicians and the media wish to be inclusive now is not the time to be silent: India farmers protests.”
37. Saving Punjab asks everyone to watch the documentary “Toxification” on Netflix to understand the real cost of the rice on your plate.
38. Thank you to everyone who heard our call to make female activist Nodeep Kaur famous today. Hundreds of thousands have been shared on social media about her. The lastest information on her is NodeepKaur ‘s next hearing is on Feb-8th. Nodeep's family alleges she was fired from her job because of her activism, arrested, sexually harassed in custody & denied bail twice because the farmers & workers' unity became problematic for the Kundli Industrial Assc. and the Haryana government. Kundli Industrial Associations chief denied Nodeep's employment. Gupta said, “You should check her background, with what I know, she is not a worker at any of the factories here. She is one of those who did sloganeering at Shaheen Bagh last year,” he said. Nodeep has been denied bail twice because of a range of charges slapped against her, including Section 307 - attempt to murder. The next bail hearing is scheduled for February 8. She will complete 26 days in custody on February 8. In reality all she did was speak for farmers and workers rights.
39. Lastly please read the tweet by former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju. He responds to those celebrities who say this is an internal India matter and demonstrates the fascism in Indian BJP thinking.
FARMERS UPDATE 3/2/21
Latest developments - with 47 updates. Wednesday 3rd Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. Five farmers passed away today. Mata Ji named Sukhdev Kaur (70) w/o Dalip Singh from Village Mahesari Sandhuan passed away at a hospital in Moga after she was rushed from Tikri Border where she was participating in the FarmerProtest.
2. Gurjant Singh (68) s/o Visakha Singh of Cheema Mandi area passed away at around 06:30pm at Tikri Border. Gurjant Singh was part of protests since Jan 3rd 2021. His entire family was at Tikri. The family went back to Punjab for last rites.
3. Sardar Joginder Singh son S: Bhan Singh age 65 years old: Patti District Tarn Taran who first fell ill in the front and then went to the hospital and died.
4. Surjeet Singh (42) s/o Kashmir Singh of Sukarchak cheema Tarn Taran has passed away after reaching home. He went home due to fever & has passed away this morning. He is survived by 2 daughters.
5. A farmer from village Chananwal in Barnala passed away at Singhu border this afternoon. Jasmail Singh (50) s/o Ranjeet singh who was part of BKU Rajewal was part of the protests since Dec2020. The body has been sent to village. Heart attack is cause of death.
6. Announcement of RakeshtiKait from Gazipur border: The headquarters of the farmer's movement will remain Singhu border, horses are not changed during war. 40 member committee will operate, we have to learn a lot from Punjab people.
7. Stage collapsed with Rakesh Tikait and Balbir Rajewal standing on it. Too many people were standing on the stage. Both are apparently unhurt.
8. Massive crowds in Jind and warm welcome for Farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait & Gurnam Singh Churani
9. World Sikh Parliament and 167 North American Gurdwaras send a joint statement to the Kisaan morcha leaders. It’s asks farmers leaders, youth an d elders to work together and not put statements out against each other.
10. Times of India states that Haryana leaders Rakesh Tikait and Gurnam Singh Churani are on an all time high, but Punjab leaders are in fighting.
11. Delhi cannot become Tiananmen Square.-Amod Kanth. Ex Police Comm, Delhi.
12. The police are stopping langar, medication, toiletries, water, electricity and internet to the site. Many days the Supreme Court of India said farmers have a right to protest, but Delhi Police are turning it into a concentration camp against their own farmers.
13. As many langar sevadaars are elderly, they are struggling carrying food up to 1.5km from police barricades to morcha sites. They are feeding up to 25,000 daily on some sites.
14. NDTV - Delhi Police announce a Rs. 1 lakh reward for leads that could lead to the arrest on Mr Sidhu and three others, a reward of Rs. 50,000 was announced for any information that could lead the police to arrest four others, Jagbir Singh, Buta Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Iqbal Singh.
15. Nand Kishor Gujjar and all identified BJP -RSS goons roam free. This is what is happening in india. Those protesting peacefully arrested, those BJP on video being violent against peaceful protestors are free.
16. US senator Robert Menendez writes to Indian Ambassador with concerns for farmers.
17. Rep Jim Costa from USA tweeted, “The unfolding events in India are troubling. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am closely monitoring the situation. The right to peaceful protest must always be respected.”
18. USA National Farmers Union tweet in favour of Indian farmers.
19. #Farmersprotest trends No1 in India despite the constant takes down of hashtags linked to protests.
20. NDTV- Indian Government orders Twitter to comply with order to remove content / accounts linked to Farmers protests.
21. Reports that Twitter India employees are being threatened with 7 year jail sentences for not deleting tweets and content for farmers.
22. Human Rights Watch tweet in favour of farmers. They said democracy is dead in India. The government of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presiding over a dangerous regression in free speech rights in pursuit of its Hindu nationalist agenda.
23. Rihanna, John Cusack & Greta Thunberg tweet in favour of farmers has had Modi and BJP IT Cell in a spin ... so last night, they got the usual paid celebrities to respond. This included Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Ajay Devgun, Karan Johar, Sachin Tendulkar, and others. All use the same talking point and same hashtag. Similar to attacks on Pakistan, these celebrities tweet for BJP govt when required, to influence public opinion. Many speculate the BJP IT cell pay for these scripted tweets.
24. Jazzy B calls out Akshay Kumar asking where he has been for the last 2months of farmers morcha.
25. Celebrity BJP Twitter terrorist, Kanguna who’s devoted to Modi, tweets more hate to Rihanna and dubiously links her to Canadian NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.
26. Then interesting how quickly the BJP mobs came out with racist comments about Rihanna’s skin colour are prominent in Modi’s supporters responses. Fascist and racists......
27. India's right wingers flood Rihanna's post with images of her assault, glorify and trend Chris Brown, trolling her for her tweet in support of India's farmers' protests. The depravity of the Modi supporters including Kangana is next level.
28. BJP govt was so rattled by Rihanna tweet that the India Ministry of External Affairs make a public statement on the matter.
29. Greta Thunberg calls BJP a fascists regime and give farmers a 5 points plan.
30. US Vice Presidents niece Meena Harris tweets in favour of farmers.
31. NBA basketball star Kyle from LALakers tweets in favour of farmers.
32. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweets- Modi style of governance- Shut them up, Cut them off, Crush them down.
33. BBC - India’s war like fortifications against farmers.
34. UK MP Neil Obrien write to UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb with concern about treatment of farmers in India.
35. Vogue article - “We Have To Fight”: Why It’s Women At The Forefront Of India’s Farming Protests, And How To Help.
36. Washington post article - India is at war with itself — and even Rihanna is noticing.
37. Metro article on farmers issue - Why is Rihanna tweeting about Indian farmers and how can you help them? The article widely quotes Saving Punjab.
38. Delhi police book a case against social activist and anti-rape activist Yogita Bhayana as she tweeted in favour of farmers. It’s a policing of silencing the public.
39. At around 6 pm today, police personnel posted at #Singhu border, refused entry to Newslaundry reporter @NidhiSuresh_ . A police official said this wasn't an 'official ban' but only journalists with 'national media authorised press cards' would be allowed to enter.
40. 'No Compensation For Families Of Farmers Who Died During Protests': BJP Agriculture Minister Tomar.
41. Agriculture Minister Tomar then said that barricading & Internet ban is a local admin issue & that centre has nothing to do with it.
42. This is factually incorrect as Delhi police functions under HMO. Observers say Tomar lies in the Parliament & stays silent on curbing dissent of farmers.
43. “Fight China & Pakistan, not our farmers.” said Gulam Nabi Azad in Rajya Sabha. He raised concerns on innocents being held in jail after 26th. He demanded an inquiry into it and also said that journalists are targeted by the state to curb dissent.
44. Suspension of Internet & mobile dongle services along with bulk SMS to continue in Kaithal, Jind, Rohtak, Sonipat and Jhajjar till 5pm tomorrow.
45. A Petition was filed in Supreme Court yesterday about suspension of internet in protest areas and also about the hate speech by main stream media against Sikhs. Petition was filed by Sanpreet Singh Ajmani and Pushpinder Singh. Singh said that they are "aggrieved by the propaganda & hate news being published by some of the news channels (like AajTak, Republic Bharat, ABP news etc.) &over sites (like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram etc.) spreading hate against the entire Sikh community."
46. On bail journalist Mandeep Punia says govt should release other journalist arrested include Siddique Kappan.
47. Female Punjab activist Nodeep Kaur spends another night in Tihar Jail. Already her body covered in bruising, we ask everyone to remember her and the over 200 Singhs in custody and many others missing.
FARMERS UPDATE 2/2/21
Latest developments - with 36 updates. Tuesday 2nd Feb : Be Informed, Be Active
1. A 31yr old farmer has passed away at Tikri Border. Jagdeep Singh from Rampur Fanna village had come to Tikri on 1st feb on his tractor. He passed away this morning. Heart attack is cited as reason of death.
2. Another farmer named Bant Singh of village Bhari Panecha has passed away today. He was part of protests since December 5, 2020. Heart attack is said to be reason of death.
3. Indian Metrology department issuing an alert for severe cold for 3rd and 4th feb, the cases of illnesses and deaths among sitting farmers are likely to increase. Some old men and unwell people have been sent home from Tikri.
4. So many observers commentating, if you consider the many layers of the barricades put up yesterday. If this had been Hong Kong or Russia, it would be main news in Uk and USA. But these media outlets are silent? Trade deals before democracy.
5. Nodeep Kaur’s bail plea has been rejected. Judge said that more evidence will be presented by police. This is how Indian nation treats its women activists. If a female speaks out for Dalits in India, they face the most obstacles in a caste focused BJP regime. She is a young lady and has already faced physically assault by the police.
6. Journalist Mandeep punia granted bail after paying 25000 rupees.
7. DSGMC team led by Mr Sirsa has visited Tihar Jail with warm clothes for the farmers held by police with and without charges. All Singhs are in Chardi Kala & are continuously chanting naam.
8. As many as 120 persons have been arrested in connection with the farmers’ agitation and have been kept at the Tihar jail, claims a list released by the Lawyers For Farmers, the formal standing counsel for the farmers.
9. The Delhi Police, meanwhile, said 44 FIRs had been registered and 122 persons arrested till now, whose details were available on their website.
10. As many as 300 advocates have formed a group to fight for the persons who have been arrested, illegally detained or have been missing during the farmers’ protest at Delhi.
11. Of the 120 arrested persons — 39 have been booked at the Nangloi police station, 34 at the Alipur Outer North police station, 15 at the Paschim Vihar West police station, nine at the Mukherjee Nagar police station, seven at the Najafgarh police station, six at the Uttam Bagar police station, five at the Mundka Outer District police station and three each at Seemapuri and Baba Haridas Nagar police stations. Veteran advocates HS Phoolka and Navkiran Singh are part of the legal team representing farmers.
12. A separate team of lawyers from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee is also fighting the farmers’ cases. Both Lawyers for Farmers and DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa have appealed to missing persons’ relatives to approach them. The Lawyers for Farmers, which has set up a desk at Singhu, today filed a writ in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, questioning the suspension of internet in many Haryana districts.
13. “We have so far received calls from at least 300 families. However, the number of persons traced so far is 120. We are trying to ascertain how many are exactly missing. At least 120 persons have been lodged at the Tihar jail,” said advocate Hakam Singh, a member of the Farmers for Lawyer. “We are going to file a petition in the Delhi High Court on Tuesday regarding the life and liberty of peaceful protesters. We are also working to file petitions to demand a medical board for a thorough check-up of the arrested,” he said. — TNS
14. Delhi High court has rejected a petition that questioned the role of Delhi police in 26th Jan violence against farmers and also sponsored violence at Singhu border. The petition was rejected without listening to a single word. This is Judiciary in India.
15. The Premier of British Columbia, a major Canadian province, calls on the Indian government to respect the democratic right to peaceful protest. “Many British Columbians come from farming families in India & it's been stressful for them to witness reaction to farmers' peaceful protests. I understand their anguish & hope everyone is safe. I strongly believe in the democratic process & hope a peaceful solution is found soon.”
16. 200 pairs of shoes were displayed at BC Parliament in Victoria, to remember those farmers who died and the 200 in jails.
17. Ranvir Singh from ITV tweeted,” Indian government arresting journalists who expose BJP activists as behind the suppression of rightful #FarmersProstests .. this state violence is not just anti-Sikh, it is anti-workers. Covid cancelled Boris’s trip to India (I was due to go too) but this must be condemned 👇🏽”.
18. Claude Webb MP for Liecester East tweeted,”I have received trolling, death threats, rape threats, threats of sexual violence, misogyny, anti-black racism, outright lies, gaslighting, false allegations, malicious reporting, smear campaigns, everything really -I stand for human rights #IStandWithFarmers #FarmersProtest”.
19. Haryana Govt has extended the ban on internet, bulk SMS services and all dongle services etc except the voice calls in Kaithal, Panipat, Jind, Rohtak, Charkhi Dadri, Sonipat and Jhajjar till 5 pm on February 3.
20. People in Haryana's Jind have blocked the national highway to protest against internet ban.
21. Thousands of farmers have gathered at Landhadi toll plaza in Haryana.
22. India sends fifth highest number of takedown requests to twitter of any country the report says (japan, russia, south korea & turkey are the top 4). India led the world in government-targeted internet shutdowns in 2020, targeted sites of protest+insurgency. (Time magazine)
23. India has reneged its UN mandated Responsibility to Protect its farmers who have suffered violence from police and mobs since India's Republic Day on 26th Jan 2021. This Responsibility to Protect was undertaken by member states at a 2005 UN Global Summit. UNITED SIKHS wrote today to the UN following police brutality against these farmers whilst they were holding a tractor parade to mark India's Republic Day on 26th Jan 2021 and it continued when mobs and police attacked farmers at their protest sites. UNITED SIKHS wrote to: Michele Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Nazhat Shameem Khan, President UN Human Rights Council and Special Adviser on Responsibility to Protect, Karen Smith. (Issued by Mejindarpal Kaur, International Legal Director, UNITED SIKHS)
24. Capt Amrinder Singh tweeted, “Punjab Government has already arranged a team of 70 lawyers in Delhi to ensure quick legal recourse to farmers booked by the Delhi police. I will personally take up the issue of missing farmers with MHA & ensure these persons reach home safely.
25. Notably as Capt Amrinder helps farmers with legal support, an attack happens on Sukhbir Badals car. Many seasoned observers see this as a staged attack. The BJP center govt with Badals will now make out there is a law and order issue in Punjab. They will use this to collapse the Capt Amrinder govt and start direct rule from Delhi. Over the last 50 years, direct rule from Delhi has happened everytime Punjab stands up against Delhi rule. If direct rule start then there will be a severe crackdown on farmers families and food supply lines will stop. Badals want it as it may bring them back into power. As always Punjabis and sikhs suffer.
26. Bathinda sikhs protested in large numbers in favor of those who were victims of the oppression of the government in Delhi during the farmer's struggle, their release and the lawsuits filed against them, to take action against the murderers of Shaheed Navreet Singh.
27. Sanjay Raut has met Rakesh Takait at Ghazipur border. Raut said that Shiv Sena stands with farmers and their movement. He said tht Shiv Sena appreciates decisions of Union leaders & will continue to support from outside because now political opposition has to put pressure as well
28. International popstar Rihanna who has 100 million social media followers asks on her social media, why are we not speaking about farmers protests? While linking in CNN.
29. BJP celebrity Twitter terrorist Kangana Ranaut responds to Rhianna stating the farmers are terrorists helping China take over India. Her response shows that the justification of fascism is so pathetic.
30. Already some BJP nutcases are tweeting that she is being paid by Khalistanis, other one said she is after Canadian citizenship. 🤣
31. Sting videos show how Bollywood celebrities and cricketers get paid by BJP for tweeting in the favour of BJP policies.
32. Brit Asia TV - Twitter crashes as the farmers thank Rihanna for raising the farmers issue globally.
33. Police at Gazipur border had barricaded the road to stop farmers from marching towards Delhi. Now it has dug 10 ft deep trench to stop farmers from taking alternative route.
34. Jasveer Singh from Sikh PA speak on BBC radio about Farmers Protest.
35. Uk petition reached 97,000 signatures. Another 3000 and the issue will be scheduled for discussion in Parliament.
36. Baaz news - The @WorldSikhOrg, @sikh_coalition, @SikhRI, and @PoeticJFdn have issued a joint letter calling on major press freedom organizations to speak out regarding recent attacks on the free press in India, including arbitrary detentions and censorship.
