Day 341
Toll 655
Flanks
Ideally, home is a place that gives us a sense of security. We might not have our home fully secured but we trust the environment around the home, the system in place, to not transgress our privacy, to let us be. Fort is a home we have secured through moats and walls and defence systems because we know forts are under attack. The enemy will want to transgress and we will need to hold up.
The farmers on Delhi’s borders live in makeshift homes – tents, trolleys, straw huts. Since no permanent structures are allowed, and from the farmers’ side the struggle with the government is non-violent, they have not built forts. What they have are Morchas – Fronts. Over the last 11 months, these Morchas have been under immense attacks by both the weather and miscreants.
Where there have been chilly winter, icy winter rains, there have also been scorching summers and monsoon floods. The farmers have dealt with them, constantly reconfiguring their dwellings. There have also been many cases of infiltration, of miscreants setting farmer tents on fire, of them found at the protest sites with propaganda material, and so on. The government, which is supposed to provide a secure environment, has been assaulting the farmers all these months.
Now, with the opening of barricades, entire flanks of the Morchas are fully exposed. As the roads run in Singhu and Ghazipur, as two wheelers and small ambulances are allowed at Tikri, 24/7, we can only dread the potential increase on the number of attacks. The incidents of arson. The assault by the government’s miscreants.
Do you see what I see?
When farmers came last November, Delhi folks flocked to the protest sites. Many partook lovely langars and gifts of almonds and glasses of hot thick milk. Then when government dug nails in the roads, Delhi folks stopped coming. Now the nails are off, barricades are removed, will people flock again?
It is through people expressing solidarity, that the protests will succeed. The government games have been to isolate protests, the peoples’ move should be to stand with them, secure them. Will Delhi stand by the protests?
How many are planning visits please? Welcome!