Arshdeep Arshi

Sarbajaya Bhattacharya

Editor

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On February 13, 2024, Davinder Singh
Bhangu, a sociology student from Punjab, went to the Shambhu border with his
friends to join the farmers’ protest. When they reached at around 2 p.m., the
Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the police on the Haryana side of the border were
already in action. 

Davinder’s friend Taranveer Singh
says, “a rubber pellet hit him in the left eye when we were standing peacefully
in a group. Davinder fell immediately. As we tried to pick him up, the police
fired three or four tear gas shells at us.” It all happened around 3 p.m., within
an hour of their arrival at the protest site.

Farmers began their peaceful march
to Delhi on February 13, 2024, demanding legal guarantee for MSP (minimum support
price) among other issues. They were stopped at Shambhu border between Punjab
and Haryana by the police and RAF. Barricades had been set up to prevent
them from marching. When the farmers
tried to march on, they were attacked with tear gas shells and rubber pellets (Also
read: <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/i-feel-imprisoned-at-shambhu-border/">&#39;I feel imprisoned at Shambhu border&#39;</a>).

Braving the pungent smoke from the
tear gas shells, Davinder’s friends sprang into action, quickly picking him up
while he bled profusely. They took the 22-year-old to the government hospital
in Banur in an ambulance, around 20 kilometres from the spot. The doctors there
referred him to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh where
his eye was operated upon on February 15. The doctors say there is little
chance of him regaining his vision in the left eye.  

Davinder’s father Manjit Singh, a farmer, told
the media that his son decided not to go abroad and instead stay and prepare to
join the police force.

The family owns eight acres of land
in the village of Sheikhupur in Patiala district and participated in the
farmers’ protest against the three farm laws at the borders of Delhi in
2020-21. Read PARI stories on the movement: <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/protests-against-farm-laws-full-coverage/">Protest against farm laws: full coverage</a>.


Farmers at the protest site want to
know how the Haryana police are able to shoot pellets and tear gas shells in
the jurisdiction of Punjab. “If we are not safe in our state, where will we
be?” they ask and add that the police have targeted peaceful protesters. “The
Punjab government should do something,” they say.

A farmer leader, Guramneet Singh
told PARI that they raised this issue with the Punjab Police and even the Deputy
Commissioner. They were told that the police have spoken with their
counterparts in Ambala. But the tear gas shelling is yet to stop. 

More than 100 protesting farmers
have been injured due to the use of water cannons, tear gas shells and pellets.
Three have lost their eyes. The health minister even condemned the Haryana
police for its ‘unprovoked’ action on the farmers.

Jarnail Singh, a farmer from
Dhariwal village in the district of Tarn Taran was hit in the head during a laathi charge on February 13. The
44-year-old has received five stitches in the head, but does not wish to return
home. “Everyone is here protesting, why would I go home to my village,” he
says.

Dr. Mandeep Singh, who is running a medical camp
at the protest site said that they have tended to at least 400 patients with
injuries and ailments since the protest started.

Punjab’s health minister, Dr. Balbir
Singh, himself a practicing eye surgeon, has been visiting patients who have
been injured during the protest. On February 14, he announced that all treatment
costs of farmers injured during the protest will be borne by the Punjab
government. 

Several media persons have also been
heckled and attacked by miscreants at the protest site. To aid the press, and
to contain such miscreants, the farmer unions have appointed volunteers as pehredars or guards to keep a check.

The unions are also issuing media cards
authorised by them to the journalists coming to cover the protest. Farmer
leader Ranjit Singh Raju says it is for the safety of the journalists. The card
contains details of the journalist and is signed by a leader who is noting down
their details in a register.

Like Davinder, many at the protest
site at Shambhu border were also involved in the protests of 2020-2021. 

Baba Labh Singh, member of a kaar sewa team, lost his cousin during
the protest at Delhi border. “My cousin Ajaib Singh died of pneumonia at the
protest site. His wife had passed away earlier. His two children have been
orphaned,” the 62-year-old says, addressing a gathering at Shambhu border on February 18.

“During elections, these people come with folded
hands to us, but do not lend a listening ear when we come with our demands,” he
continues and adds that while governments come and go, people always have to
fight for themselves.

Harbhajan Kaur is a part of a group
of women farmers who have journeyed from Dugri in Gurdaspur. They travelled for
two days to reach the Shambhu border. “My son did not want to bring me,” says
the 78-year-old, “I said what will I do alone in the village? I will die before
anyone if it comes to that.”

She, along with other women from her
village, stayed at the Delhi borders during the 2020-21 protests. 

Not just people, there are vehicles
here that were part of the previous protest as well. A tractor at Shambhu
border has a line on it painted three years ago: “Haar paawange, haar puaawange…Sun Dilliye, par haar ke nahi jawange [Will honour you and will be honoured…Listen Delhi, but we will not return
defeated/dishonoured].” 

A quote on a car reads: “Jadon pata howe seeneyan ch chhek honge, odon jang jaan wale bande aam
nahion hunde [When it is known that there will be holes (through fire) in
the chest, the men who go to war then are not ordinary].” Farmer leaders temporarily halted the Delhi Chalo March on February 18, Sunday, in the evening, after the Union ministers pitched a new Minimum Support Price (MSP) proposal. After reviewing it, the farmers have rejected the proposal and will resume the march on February 21.

‘If we are not safe in our own state, where will we be?’

’اگر ہم اپنی ہی ریاست میں محفوظ نہیں، تو پھر کہاں ہوں گے؟‘

'சொந்த மாநிலத்தில் பாதுகாப்பில்லையெனில், நாங்கள் எங்கே செல்வது?'

‘ଯଦି ଆମେ ଆମ ନିଜର ସୁରକ୍ଷିତ ନୋହୁଁ, ତେବେ କେଉଁଠି ସୁରକ୍ଷିତ ରହିବୁ?’

'स्वतःच्याच राज्यातही सुरक्षित नाही, तर आणखी कुठे असणार?'

'സ്വന്തം സംസ്ഥാനത്ത് സുരക്ഷിതരല്ലെങ്കിൽ, പിന്നെ എവിടെയാണ് ഞങ്ങൾ സുരക്ഷിതരായിരിക്കുക?’

'ನಮ್ಮ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲೇ ನಮಗೆ ರಕ್ಷಣೆಯಿಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ, ನಾವು ಎಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಬೇಕು?'

‘हम अपने सूबे में सुरक्षित नहीं, तो और कहां होंगे?’

'જો અમે અમારા પોતાના જ રાજ્યમાં સુરક્ષિત નહીં હોઈએ, તો બીજે તો ક્યાંથી રહેવાના?’

‘गर हमन अपन राज मं सुरच्छित नई अन, त हमन कहाँ रहिबो?’

‘हमनी के अपनी राज्य में सुरक्षित नईखी जा त कहां होखब जा?’

'নিজের রাজ্যেই যদি নিরাপদ না থাকি, তবে আর যাব কোথায়?'

'নিজ ৰাজ্যতেই যদি আমি নিৰাপদ নহয়, তেন্তে ক’ত হ’ম?'

‘ਜੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਸੂਬੇ ’ਚ ਸੁਰੱਖਿਅਤ ਨਹੀਂ, ਤਾਂ ਹੋਰ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਹੋਵਾਂਗੇ?’

Shambhu Khurd, Rajpura Tahsil, Patiala District, Punjab, 140417, India

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‘If we are not safe in our own state, where will we be?’

Farmers are questioning the attack they are facing from the Haryana police while still in Punjab. Several protestors have been gravely injured, including Davinder Singh, who is likely to lose vision in his left eye

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