Farmers Movement Archive

Campaign intensifies for release of activist Nodeep

Bathinda: Days after her bail application was rejected by a Sonipat court, a campaign has been launched for the release of Dalit labour rights activist Nodeep Kaur. With niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, Meena Harris, mentioning Nodeep, in a tweet on Saturday, more and more have raised the issue with hashtag #SpeakUpForNodeep trending on Twitter. The democratic rights organisations, trade unions, farmer organisations and student activists are demanding release of the activist who was arrested on January 12. Nodeep is facing case for attempt to murder and extortion for allegedly assaulting police and demanding money from factory owners. Hailing from Gyandar village under Kakhuwali Mandi police station in Muktsar Sahib of Punjab, 23-year-old Nodeep is a member of Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan at Sonipat. She was working in a factory at Kundli but was sacked in December, allegedly for participating in the farm protests at nearby Singhu. The Sonipat court had rejected her bail plea on February 2 and now the family is going to approach the Punjab and Haryana high court for bail. He family said she and other members from Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan had joined the protests to express solidarity with the farmers and to raise issue of payments to workers in Kundli industrial area. Meena’s tweet claimed that Nodeep was sexually assaulted. Nodeep’ sister Rajvir Kaur, a research scholar at Delhi University, also alleged that her sister was tortured and physically assaulted while in custody. “Nodeep had told me so when I visited her in jail on January 13. She was arrested to stop her from raising voice for payment of unpaid wages to near 300 workers in Kundli and to break growing solidarity between workers and the peasantry at Singhu border.” Farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) secretary Shingara Singh Mann and Kirti Kisan Union vice-president Rajinder Singh said that police should stop harassing those supporting the struggle. “Nodeep was supporting the protest and was raising her voice for which she is paying the price. But we all are with those supporting the struggle,” they said. On the other hand, police have denied the charges of torture and illegal detention, saying these allegations were being levelled as an afterthought. She was kept in custody accompanied by two female police personnel for the period she stayed in police custody and was medically examined, police have said. The case against her was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by one Lalit Khurana, who works as an accountant with Elecmech Private Ltd, Kundli. The complaint alleged that Nodeep, along with two other women and more than 50 men, stormed the company office and demanded money. When police was informed, three cops who reached the spot were allegedly assaulted by the the group. The police have said Nodeep was facing two other serious criminal cases too.

The Times of India

2021-02-08

Chandigarh