Farmers Protest in Delhi: Around 5pm today, farmers will hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance.
New Delhi:
It has been 25 days since thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other Indian states began gathering in and around the national capital in protest against three new central agricultural laws. Today, in what is called “Shraddhanjali Diwas”, everyone is taking a moment to remember their comrades who fell during their collective struggle in recent days.
In Singhu, one of the border points between Delhi and Haryana, where large numbers of farmers have camped in protest, prayers were read today before posters of the 29 people who reportedly lost their lives during the unrest.
This includes Jai Singh, the 38-year-old man who died from the cold on Thursday, and Baba Ram Singh, a priest who committed suicide on Wednesday, “angry and hurt” by the injustice of the government.
A sign at the site of the Singhu protest said that the farmers will not rest before achieving what the shaheed (those who fell in battle) lost their lives.
At around 5 p.m. today, they will hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance. The organizers of the event have invited the citizens of Delhi to join them in the program.
The farmers’ protest in and around Delhi may be only a few weeks old, but the turmoil itself has been going on for the longest time, at least since September, when Parliament passed the central laws.
Multiple rounds of talks with the central government and calls from Prime Minister Narendra Modi have failed to break the deadlock, and farmers are seeking the complete repeal of all three laws.
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