Beyond the barricades, protest continues

- February 3, 2021
| By : Sashikala VP |

A glimpse into the farmer’s protest that despite the barbed wires, nails and a wall of security personnel refuses to die   There may be concrete barricades and concertina wire to stop movement, but farmers at Ghazipur border are not giving up. After numbers started to dwindle on January 26 a cry for support by […]

Muslim farmers expressed their solidarity and can be seen at protest sites joining in; a division created by politics not standing at this juncture. Here they can be seen volunteering together, working together to feed in hundreds; after all, a family who eats together, stays together.

A glimpse into the farmer’s protest that despite the barbed wires, nails and a wall of security personnel refuses to die

 

There may be concrete barricades and concertina wire to stop movement, but farmers at Ghazipur border are not giving up. After numbers started to dwindle on January 26 a cry for support by Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait saw a response the government may not have envisioned. Numbers started to increase, with farmers from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, and Rajasthan converging.

Now political leaders of different parties are reaching out to show solidarity – perhaps a time like no other to gain support from people of different states from one stage. The photos taken are from when Shiv Sena’s MP Sanjay Raut reached the Ghazipur protest site on February 2.

It was buzzing with people trying to catch a glimpse of the MP during a time when lunch would be served and everyone would be drifting off, hoping their protest is heard and the three laws revoked.

Men in their mid-80s say they have never been part of such a long-drawn protest before, but will not leave, even if they die on this highway – which connects UP to the Capital city of India, Delhi. They are passionate about this protest, furious that their voices are not heard.

In the anger of their discussions, there is the unity of being wronged.

With heavy barricading, paths like these have to be taken on foot. Here, an elderly gentleman makes his way to join the protest. He comes every other day to show support

 

No one goes hungry at the protest site, and this is true; with food coming all the way from villages of the protestors. The stretch of the Ghazipur highway occupied has many corners like these where people are cooking, or eating

 

The older protestors have remained resilient, staying on for months, refusing to give up their demands. They are thankful that young people came out in support. “They are the strength of this protest,” they say

Protesting farmers at Ghazipur gather to watch Shiv Sena’s MP Sanjay Raut render his support
The stage at the protest site has given many a leader a platform to show their support, especially BKU’s Rakesh Tikait who has emerged as a farmer leader

 

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