Women participants of farmer’s movement run over by a speeding truck  in Tikri border

truck

On October 28th Three women protesters — Sukhvinder Kaur (60), Amarjit Kaur (58) and Gurmail Kaur (60) of Khiwa Daluwala village in Punjab’s Mansa district — were run over by a speeding truck carrying construction material near the Tikri-Bahadurgarh border here on Thursday morning. Two others sustained injuries. The incident of Laxmpur Kheri literally repeated itself. They were cremated today in village Khiva Dayalu (Mansa)

There could hardly be a more accurate illustration of how the ruling BJP regime is leaving no stone unturned in trampling upon the oppressed and literally patronise the oppressors. The incident is nothing but a planned conspiracy of the Hindutva rulers, to break the backbone of the farmers resistance. It is also a manifestation of how oppressive the social order is towards women. All democrats must overwhelmingly condemn not only the perpetrators of the incident but the social system that endorsed it.

The movement has been going on for a sustained period of 11 months in which many types of incidents have taken place and is going through different stages but the incident that happened on October 28 has simply ignited the hearts of the agitating farmers and the farmer women sisters, like a coal furnace burning. I have no doubt that it was a deliberate ploy of the Hindutva brigade to rip the flesh of the peasant uprising. It will simply carve permanent niche amongst the black days in history. I have no doubt a spark will crystallise into a Prairie fire. The masses of Punjab are raged in the manner of a Tsunami occurring and are determined to confront the culprits at all costs and their patronisers. They simply poured onto the streets in protest to obstruct the traffic. Every democratic force of Punjab has pledged to fight for justice to the very end, to bring the culprits to the book. It is likely to sharpen the polarisation against the trend of Hindutva fascism.

The women were reportedly sitting on a road divider waiting for an auto to reach the railway station when the truck barged into them.

While two of them died on the spot, the third succumbed to her injuries at the Civil Hospital. Suspecting foul play, BKU leader Buta Singh demanded a thorough probe.

“There was enough light at the time of the incident. The truck stopped at some distance before ramming into the divider,” he claimed, adding they would decide the next course after discussing the matter with the SKM.

The Punjab Government has announced Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased. Waseem Akram, SP, called it an accident. He said the driver had been arrested. “We held a meeting with the farmers to make them aware of the investigation so far. They seemed convinced,” he added.

Alleging foul play, family members of three women protesters and several farm unions have demanded an independent probe into the incident by a committee of sitting judges of the Supreme Court.

To mourn the loss of lives, members of the Punjab Kisan Union, Sanvidhan Bachao Manch and Medical Practitioners’ Association met the family members of the deceased at Khiva Dialuwala village in Mansa district and paid condolences. Claiming that all women belonged to marginal groups who had debts running in lakhs of rupees, the representatives of these organisations demanded adequate compensation to them.

Gurlabh Singh Mahal, leader of the Sanvidhan Bachao Manch, said, “The case requires intervention of the apex court. After constituting a committee of sitting judges, the Supreme Court must conduct an independent probe.”

A major protest conference or shok ceremony was held  by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), addressed by leader Jaspal Singh.in Bahadurgarh in Haryana.

On October 28 Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan’at  Tikri Border organised a meeting on the issue of the  terrible accident that happened at 6 am at Gadri Gulab Kaur Nagar, which killed three farmer women on the spot. They were paid a tribute with two minutes of silence. Bathinda district leader Basant Singh Kotha Guru shared information about the martyred women regarding the accident that happened from the stage, saying that three women Amarjit Kaur, Gurmel Kaur and Sukhwinder Kaur residents Khiwa Dayalu Wala (Mansa) who were given a chance to tipper died and 2 women Gurmel Kaur and Harmeet Kaur were seriously injured. All these women were waiting for an auto rickshaw on the road divider to reach the railway station under Jhajjar bridge to return from Delhi Morcha to Punjab at am. Meanwhile, a tipper from 15-20 karma started and climbed directly over these women and stopped after hitting the divider with a heavy stone and the tipper driver ran away from the spot. Today, the driver of the truck was arrested after a two-hour jam in Pakora Chowk demanding the arrest of the tipper driver and the owner.

Barnala district leader Bukan Singh Sadowal and Bhawanigarh block leader Manjit Singh Gharachon said that the case of three women killed and two injured due to tipper on women seems to be a calculated  conspiracy by the Haryana Khattar government with the case coming  under no doubt. That’s because of incidents that were caused by the central governments in the past days such as the incident in Lakhmirpur Khiri in Uttar Pradesh or the murder of a poor labourer in Singhu border where the investigation was directly suspended by the BJP. Similarly, this incident is based on the statement given by the Haryana Chief Minister to prepare volunteers to deal with the agitating farmers. This incident also makes one suspicious that the movement should be weakened by creating confusion amongst the struggling people. The spokespersons went to the root of the incident and demanded strict punishments to the accused.

Sad story of Amarjit Kaur Khiwa

The story of Amarjit Kaur of village Khiwa Dayaluwala who was martyred in a painful accident at Tikri border today is very painful. Amarjeet Kaur’s husband Harjeet Singh died 18 years ago due to snake bite when his children Jaswinder Singh and daughter Lakhwinder Kaur were young. Amarjeet Kaur taught his children with great difficulties. His son Jaswinder Singh joined the army after studying. Just when the life was getting back on track and her daughter scheduled to get married in January 2022, Amarjit died. The preparations of marriage were in full swing at their house. Her son, Jaswinder Singh (25), who is serving in the Army, also met with a road accident in 2019 and sustained grievous injuries, leaving him speech-impaired. Jaswinder, who got married in April, was allowed to continue his service on compensatory grounds. With him continuing to serve the Army, it’s just his wife Sarbjit Kaur and sister Lakhwinder Kaur at their house in Mansa. The family owns five acres of agricultural land and had taken over Rs 10 lakh loan from a bank besides other debt running into lakhs of rupees from others. Balkaran Singh Balli of Punjab Kisan Union said: “Ever since Amarjit died, an uneasy silence prevails in the village. If the Centre had repealed the laws, these women would not have died.”

Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist. Toured India, particularly Punjab .Written on Mass movements ,,Massline,Maoism on blogs like Democracy and Class Struggle and frontierweekly .An avid cricket lover too who has posted writings on blogs like Pakpassion Indian Cricket Fans and Sulekha.com.

[email protected]

Support Countercurrents

Countercurrents is answerable only to our readers. Support honest journalism because we have no PLANET B.
Become a Patron at Patreon

Join Our Newsletter

GET COUNTERCURRENTS DAILY NEWSLETTER STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Get CounterCurrents updates on our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter


Annual Subscription

Join Countercurrents Annual Fund Raising Campaign and help us

Latest News