[ad_1]
Pop singer Rihanna has drawn the ire of the Indian government after stepping into the debate over farmers’ protests in the country, just as heavy police security and “war” barricades continue to be built at demonstration venues around from Delhi.
This week, authorities began cracking down on the hundreds of thousands of farmers who camped on the Delhi border since November. The police embarked on a strong fortification of three camps in Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu, erecting layers of concrete barriers, digging trenches, placing barbed wire fences and cementing iron nails into roads, effectively cutting off entry and exit. to the sites.
Food and water supplies to protesting farmers were cut off and paramilitary troops and riot police were deployed in all three locations. Mobile internet access was suspended at the sites until Tuesday night after a government order.
Farmers said they had been hit hard by the internet shutdown. “I work tirelessly during the day, helping with the arrangements at the protest site. Normally an evening video call with family would ease my stress, but the internet shutdown is suffocating us, ”said 25-year-old Harneet Singh, her eyes filling with tears.
With the once heavily traveled Meerut-Delhi road now resembling a high-security fortress, those at the protest sites said the intensified fortification was a sign that the government viewed farmers as ” criminals “.
“The government treats us like thieves, but we fight for our rights,” said Harbachan Singh, 60, a farmer from Tarn Taran, Punjab, who runs a community kitchen on the Singhu border.
Farmers are demanding the repeal of three new farm laws that they say were passed by the government without their consultation and leave them at the mercy of large corporations.
Farmers say the changes, which will allow large retailers to buy directly from farmers, will spell the end of long-standing guaranteed prices for their crops and leave them vulnerable to the whims of big business.
The Narendra Modi government, which has offered some concessions but ruled out abandoning the laws, says they will benefit farmers and attract investment to a sector that accounts for nearly 15% of India’s $ 2.9 trillion economy and employs about half of its workforce.
The draconian change in anti-protest tactics followed a farmers’ march last week on India’s Republic Day that turned violent as thousands of protesters, many on tractors and on horseback, broke through police barriers around the borders of Delhi and entered the city center. Many stormed the historic Red Fort, while a farmer was killed in the violence and 500 policemen were injured.
In a tweet to her over 101 million followers, Rihanna wrote, “Why aren’t we talking about this ?!”, referring to a news report on the heavy-handed measures being used against farmers who they protest.
Several hours after Rihanna’s tweet, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who has 4.6 million followers, also chimed in, tweeting: “We stand in solidarity with #FarmersProtest in India.”
The Indian government appeared to be angered by celebrities’ attention to the protests, and in an unusual step issued a statement that did not directly mention Rihanna or Thunberg, but criticized foreigners for “rushing to comment on such matters” without one. adequate understanding. ” of the problems “.
“The temptation of social media hashtags and tabloid comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,” the statement from the Foreign Ministry said.
Rihanna’s tweet also elicited responses from Interior Minister Amit Shah, who tweeted that “no propaganda can deter India’s unity,” and Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who wrote: “The sovereignty of India cannot be compromised. External forces can be spectators but not participants ”, with the hashtag #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.
The Indian government threatened Twitter with legal action on Wednesday after the company unblocked most of the 250 accounts that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had reported for using the #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide hashtag and for allegedly tweeting “false, intimidating tweets. and provocateurs “related to the farmer. protests.
Twitter’s original decision to temporarily suspend all 250 accounts, including those of the independent Indian news magazine Caravan, farmers union Kisan Ekta Morcha, political commentator Sanjukta Basu, activist Hansraj Meena, had led to allegations that the company was silencing. dissenting voices on behalf of the Indian government.
After the accounts were restored, a statement from the Indian government accused Twitter of violating its authority and said that the company “cannot assume the role of court and justify non-compliance.”
