Day 173
Toll 470
#FarmersProtest
Sidak – faith/patience
It is soon going to be six months to the protests. The cruel apathy of the government, the danger of the virus and the hot summer have frayed the nerves of the protesters. Yet, the farmers are resolved and continue their vigil on Delhi’s borders.
The BJP, instead of resolving the issue, talking to farmers, keeps trying to provoke them. It has tried and continues to try many ways to needle the farmers, get them to react violently, so that the government can crack down on the protests, evacuate them.
One such event took place the day before. To apparently save the face of the Haryana CM but in reality to anger the farmers, the police indulged in a brutal tear gassing and lathi charge on farmers at Hisar. The Haryana CM had come to Hisar to inaugurate a COVID-19 hospital with a 500 strong entourage and doing that had violated all protocols. Learning of his arrival, the farmers from nearby gathered in thousands to confront him.
As the farmers approached the barricades, the police separated them into groups, asked them to sit down, and then lathi-charged them. The farmers resisted, broke barricades, in their defence hurled stones when teargassed. The police broke farmers vehicles, detained many of them. The events lasted more than 3 hours. It was clear violence on the part of the state. It could have easily escalated.
Yet, the farmers did not escalate it. Non-violently, for 2 hours, they jammed the KMP expressway at Delhi but allowed COVID-19 essential vehicles to pass. They negotiated with police and suddenly the government climbed down: released the detained farmers, promised to get their vehicles repaired, and both sides promised not to file cases on each other.
To me, looking at recent history of violence in Haryana – Jat violence in September 2010, March 2012, most lethal in February 2016 – this is remarkable. This is sidak, a term many singers have highlighted in their songs. It means both faith in self and patience that comes from that faith.
I feel in most parts of the country the police action could have led to an angry response of varying degrees. The Haryana farmers did not fall for the BJP ploy – their stance this time should change the way the world perceives them. If the world is still seeing them. I hope it is.
Respect!