Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers’ kin resolve unshaken, vow to resist contentious farm laws despite loss

Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, August 26Gaura Kor, 71, is unfazed even in the face of extreme grief. A resident of Jhandi village in Patiala, Kor lost her elder son, Major Khan, who contracted Covid-19 in May while protesting at the Delhi border against the three central farm laws last year.Also read: Punjab Cabinet clears jobs for 104 heirs of deceased farmersLeft with the responsibility of a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, her fortitude in the face of adversity is something that inspires other women in the village to continue the fight, and also support their menfolk.“My father Major Khan died at the age of 42. He was the sole bread-winner of the family. We own just over an acre, but corporatisation of agriculture would sound the death-knell for small farmers like us. As a tribute to his sacrifice, both my grandmother and I regularly participate in the protests,” says 21-year-old Amin Khan.Tribute to deceased fatherMy father died at the age of 42… As a tribute to his sacrifice, both my grandmother and I regularly participate in the protests. —Amin Khan, Granddaughter of gaura korTales like this are commonplace in Punjab, as nine months have elapsed since the farmers have been protesting outside Delhi. A list of 601 farmers who have died during this period — from September 26 to date — has been prepared by the unions under the aegis of Samyukt Kisan Morcha.Referred to as “shaheed” in villages, their families instead of grieving for them, have only firmed up their resolve to continue the protests till the laws are withdrawn.At Kaunke Kalan, near Jagraon, 20-year-old Jaskaran Singh says basic survival for the family has become difficult after his father Sukhwinder Singh died of a heart attack at Tikri on June 25.“We are landless labourers. After my father died during the protest, my mother has taken to stitching, I rear the few dairy animals we own, but my mother insists I do my part at the protest site at the Jagraon railway station every day. We don’t want his sacrifice to go in vain. His death only firmed up our resolve to fight peacefully against the laws,” Jaskaran tells The Tribune.Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of the BKU (Ekta Dakaunda), says the government machinery is trying to spread misinformation that crowds at the protest site are dwindling and that the opposition to the laws is waning.“They have failed to see the undercurrent. We are now trying to expand our outreach. Industrial and farm labourers, too, are supporting our cause. Our protest will continue to be peaceful and the massive rally being planned at Moradabad, UP, on September 5 will open the eyes of the Centre,” he adds.Gursewak Singh of Hamidi village in Mehal Kalan, is one such example of how resolved the farmers continue to be against the laws. His 63-year-old father Nirmal Singh Sohi passed away at Tikri recently, and his ‘bhog’ was held today afternoon. “He will get peace only when the struggle is over. That is why I am now going back to the Tikri border. After all, we owe it to those who laid down their lives in the protest to save our future,” he says.

The Tribune

2021-08-28