Month: October 2020

New Zealand Takes Step Towards Legalising Euthanasia

New Zealand is set to become the seventh country to legalise euthanasia. The country has largely voted against the legalisation of recreational marijuana.

New Zealand has provisionally voted to legalise euthanasia but is on course to reject law changes that would allow recreational marijuana use, the country’s Electoral Commission said on Friday. New Zealand voted on the two referendums this month while casting ballots during the general election that returned Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to power.

Issuing preliminary results, the commission said that there are nearly half a million,mostly overseas-based special votes,  still to be counted. These votes will not be enough to alter the vote on euthanasia but may be enough to swing the count on recreational marijuana, it said. Full results will be published on November 6, but with more than 65.2% of voters in favour of the recently passed legislation permitting euthanasia, New Zealand will become the seventh country to allow assisted suicide.

The law – which allows terminal patients with less than six months to live, to request assisted suicide – will come into effect in November 2021. Those requesting euthanasia will have to be 18 and will need the approval of two doctors. While euthanasia has been endorsed, recreational marijuana use is still up in the air.

New Zealand‘s Electoral Commission said 53.1% of voters opposed the country becoming only the third to legalise the adult use and sale of cannabis, following Canada and Uruguay.

In 2017, Ardern supported the cannabis referendum plan in order to secure enough support to form a coalition government. Ardern throughout the campaign refused to say which way she would vote, but a representative on Friday said the prime minister voted in support of both referendums.

(Reuters)

‘Keep Us Out of IIT Plan’: Goa Cashew Farmers Turn Down CM’s Offer of Rehabilitation

Local villagers have been protesting against the construction of an IIT campus on land traditionally used to grow cashew.

New Delhi:  Residents of Shel-Melauli village in Sattari taluka of Goa, who have been protesting the state government’s decision to set up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in their area, have unanimously turned down Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s offer to rehabilitate them elsewhere.

The local residents, who are mostly cashew farmers, have been protesting against the decision of the BJP government since this  July. Because land titles are not issued by the state administration for long periods, locals fear that several of them would lose their land in the government’s rehabilitation process. They feat that they could also be moved to areas not suitable for cashew cultivation, their sole means of livelihood.

In a meeting with village representatives in late September, the chief minister, in the presence of Vishwajit Rane, the health minister and the local MLA, had reportedly said that the state government would shift villagers to another area if they could show land documents. The government was silent on the villagers’ demand for regularisation of their land titles.

A day after the first meeting state government employees arrived at the village to demarcate land for the IIT, leading villagers to intensify protests.

However, on October 29, Sawant who visited the village and the campus site at the insistence of the villagers to hear their grievances, offered to “rehabilitate the people who would be affected by the project and said his government would also regularise the land titles which have been pending for long”. As per a news report in The Herald, Sawant met hundreds of villagers. 

At the October 29 meeting, in an attempt to convince the villagers, Sawant reportedly said that the IIT would bring development to the village which would mean “development of the villagers”. He said that “around 500 to 1,000 people will get jobs and next two generations will benefit”. He also offered to take some villagers to other IIT campuses to show the level of “development” around those campuses.

However, the locals stuck to their demand for land titles and insisted that the village be kept out of the IIT campus plan.

Like in the September meeting, the chief minister, in the October 29 meeting too, suggested that the villagers form a committee of villagers to discuss the issues as it “cannot be resolved by interacting with a huge crowd”.

After the September meeting, the chief minister had said that around 45,000 square metre of the land had been sliced out of the campus project as it “includes a temple and other areas used by locals for religious practices and rituals”.

On October 4, the villagers, mainly women, met at the local Vaipoi market and marched to the nearest police station demanding that it take back the summons issued to some villagers for opposing the IIT project. Two people were also arrested by then for taking active part in the protest. The protesters insisted that they all be arrested.

In July, there was police action on the protesters too. While some village representatives were speaking to reporters alleging that they were kept in dark about the matter by the state government, the police arrived at the scene and detained three of the speakers.

‘Deadliest Shipwreck of 2020’: 140 Europe-Bound Immigrants Drown Off Senegal Coast

A boat, en-route Canary Islands, had over 200 passengers. It caught fire and capsized.

Dakar At least 140 Europe-bound migrants drowned off the coast of Senegal when their boat caught fire and capsized, marking the deadliest shipwreck recorded this year, the UN migration agency said on Thursday.

The boat carrying 200 people sank a few hours after leaving the fishing town of Mbour, 100 km south of the capital Dakar, on Saturday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

Video shared on local media showed a rescue boat of local fishermen approaching a thick column of dark smoke in the open ocean as people swam frantically towards them. The Senegalese and Spanish navies and fishermen rescued some 60 people, but “at least 140 people have drowned”, the IOM said in a statement.

Migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands from West Africa have more than quadrupled this year to around 11,000 when compared with the same period in 2019, the IOM said. The surge happened due to other more favoured routes through Libya or Algeria, and across the Mediterranean Sea to southern Europe, have become blocked off by tougher controls. The perilous sea passage to the Canary Islands was once a more popular route. Attempts became scarcer when Spain stepped up patrols in the mid-2000s.

But with fewer options, migrants seeking an escape from poverty or conflict are again taking the longer, 1,400 km  sea route to the Spanish islands off the Moroccan coast, often in rickety and overcrowded boats with unreliable engines. Fourteen boats carrying 663 migrants left Senegal for the islands in September, over a quarter of which experienced an incident or shipwreck, the IOM said.

(Reuters)

Thousands Take to Warsaw Streets Against Poland’s Ban on Abortion

On October 22, Poland’s apex court ruled against abortion due to foetal defects, thereby nearly outlawing abortion in the country altogether.

Warsaw Tens of thousands of Poles joined a march in Warsaw on Friday, the biggest in nine days of protests against a ruling by the country’s top court last week. The ruling amounted to a near-total ban on abortion in the predominantly Catholic nation.

Defying strict rules that restrict gatherings to five people during the coronavirus pandemic, demonstrators walked through central Warsaw streets carrying black umbrellas, a symbol of abortion rights protests in Poland, and banners that read “I think, I feel, I decide” or “God is a woman”. Military police lined the streets, some of in riot gear, as the demonstration began.

Organisers and the city of Warsaw said some 100,000 people took part, one of the largest protest gatherings in years, following a Constitutional Court ruling which outlaws abortions due to foetal defects, on October 22. It ended the most common of the few legal grounds left for abortion in Poland and set the country further apart from Europe’s mainstream.

Daily protests have taken place across the country in the past week, and have turned into an outpouring of anger against five years of nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) rule and the Roman Catholic church, which is an ally of the government. Far-right groups which support the court ruling also turned out in small gatherings in Warsaw on Friday, and TV footage showed police clashing with them to keep one group away from the protesters.

The leader of the abortion rights movement in Poland, Marta Lempart, told activists to report any attacks and to resist any threats of prosecution or fines for taking part. “We are doing nothing wrong by protesting and going out on the streets,” she told a news conference. After the ruling goes into effect, women will only be able to terminate a pregnancy legally in the case of rape, incest or a threat to their health.

People take part in a protest against the ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal that imposes a near-total ban on abortion, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, October 25, 2020, in this picture obtained from social media. Picture taken October 25, 2020. Photo: Reuters Facebook/Barbara Germes

Dancing on trams

In an effort to ease tensions, President Andrzej Duda proposed legislation on Friday reintroducing the possibility of terminating a pregnancy due to foetal abnormalities, although only limited to defects that are immediately life-threatening. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki pledged lawmakers would proceed with the legislation quickly, but demonstrators were unimpressed.

“This is an attempt to soften the situation for PiS, but no sane person should fall for it,” activist and leftist lawmaker Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus told Reuters.

The government has accused demonstrators of risking the lives of the elderly by defying strict pandemic rules against large gatherings. Poland reported a daily record of more than 21,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Health Minister, Adam Niedzielski, drew comparisons between the Polish protest and the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality, saying demonstrations across the United States caused an “escalation” of the pandemic. Public health experts say there has yet to be conclusive evidence of large-scale spread from the U.S. events.

Five women were charged with organising an illegal protest which attracted 850 people in the town of Police on Thursday, officials said.

The Catholic Church has said that while it opposes abortion, it did not push the government or the court to increase restrictions. PiS, however, has sought to instil more traditional and Catholic values in public life by ending state funding for in vitro fertilisation, introducing more patriotic themes into school curricula and funding Church programmes. It has also launched a crackdown on LGBTQ rights and a reform of the judiciary, the European Union says subverts the rule law. PiS says it seeks to protect traditional Polish values against damaging western liberalism.

Opinion polls have shown its support falling sharply in recent weeks.

(Reuters)

‘Transgressing Limits of Decency’: EC Raps MP Minister for Model Code Violation

The Election Commission issued an order against Mohan Yadav for ‘intemperate and indecent use of language’ and subsequently barred him from campaigning for an entire day.

New Delhi  The Election Commission on Friday reprimanded Madhya Pradesh minister Mohan Yadav for using “intemperate language transgressing the limits of decency” and barred him from campaigning in the state bypolls for a day on 31st October.

The Commission also issued a notice to BJP candidate, Girraj Danotiya, for allegedly making objectionable and threatening remarks against former state chief minister Kamal Nath. He made the remarks in an interview and was later asked to respond to the notice within the next 48 hours.

In its order, the poll panel said it was not satisfied with Yadav’s response to its notice. “The Commission is satisfied that the statements therein amount to use of intemperate language transgressing the limit of decency,” it said.

The order issued to Yadav stated, “The Election Commission hereby, reprimands you for violating the provisions of…General Conduct of Model Code of Conduct and use of intemperate language transgressing the limits of decency and expects that you, being an responsible political leader, shall not repeat such indecent utterances during election time.”

The panel utilised its Constitutional powers under Article 324 and barred Mohan Yadav, the Minister for Higher Education in Madhya Pradesh, from holding any public meeting, procession, rallies, road shows and interviews, public utterances in media (electronic, print, social media),”anywhere in Madhya Pradesh…for one day on October 31st.”

Canvassing is on for the twenty-eight seats in Madhya Pradesh that will go for bypolls on 3rd November. The campaigning ends in the evening on1st November.

There Is Confusion Among ‘Upper Caste’ Voters in Bihar, Much to JD(U)-BJP’s Discomfort

Barring Brahmins, ranks of influential Bhumihars and a section of Rajputs have made removing chief minister Nitish Kumar their priority.

Muzaffarpur/Samastipur: The assembly polls in Bihar have been marked by sweeping resentment against chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Across the state, people from all age groups are raging against alleged corruption, the administration’s high handedness, high levels of unemployment, and absentee MLAs. All of these factors have led to a strong statewide anti-incumbency sentiment against Nitish’s government, but have not translated into a surefooted preference for the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led alliance.

Interestingly, however, the attitude of ‘upper caste’ Hindu voters towards the state government differs significantly across various terrains of Bihar.

In south and central Bihar, the dominant Bhumihars and Rajputs come across as a scattered group of voters – mostly preferring a Bharatiya Janata Party-led government – and expressed their anguish against the Nitish Kumar government. Both the groups, who are known to be active campaigners in the run-up to polls, remained largely muted this time around. Their confusions came to the fore in conversations as most of them appeared to be undecided about their vote. They want Nitish out but don’t want to abandon the BJP, which is the junior partner in the National Democratic Alliance government.

In contrast, Brahmins who are influential, particularly in north Bihar, supported the Nitish government wholeheartedly. Over the last two weeks, as the RJD-led alliance’s campaign picked up pace drastically, Brahmin community members have come out on the streets to aggressively campaign against the possible return of “Jungle Raj”, a term that the ruling Janata Dal (United)-BJP alliance has publicised to refer to the alleged misrule during Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi’s chief ministerial tenures.

They maintain that Nitish Kumar’s rule was much better than the previous regimes, although they reluctantly admit that his last tenure has been less than satisfactory.

A Rajput voter in Baddhiyan village near Arrah. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

Bhumihars of Naarhi campaigning for LJP candidate Rajeshwar Paswan. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

Bhumihars, also an influential community in north Bihar, and Rajputs remain unsure about voting for the JD(U) candidates even in these regions, while strongly supporting those from the BJP.

Also read: Bihar Polls: Can We Draw Any Conclusions From 54% Voter Turnout in the First Phase?

In Baddhiyan village of Arrah (central Bihar), Shambhu Singh, a Rajput voter said, “Nitish hasn’t worked for us. He remained absent when we needed him. We are exploring Lok Janshakti Party as an option this time.” Most of the land in the village is owned by Rajputs.

In one of the Bumihar-dominated villages in the neighbouring Arwal district, Manish Rai said, “Nitish chacha ko paltana hai. (‘Nitish uncle has to be removed’). He complained that people belonging to his caste did not receive any benefits during Nitish’s rule. “Only Kurmis (Nitish’s caste group) got most business orders. Small farmers like us had to make do with whatever we have,” he said.

Another Bhumihar resident of Naarhi village in Bhojpur district said, “We have propped up the LJP candidate to counter Nitish. You will see, we will be the kingmakers.”

Upon pointing out that voting out Nitish would also mean a vote against the BJP, a Bhumihar voter in Gaya said, “Nitish ko hatana tatkal avashyak hai (‘Removing Nitish is the current necessity’).

Rajeshwar Paswan, LJP candidate from Agiaon constituency is being supported by Bhumihars. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

Most of them envisioned a scenario in which the BJP would form a government with smaller players like the LJP and other parties.

“Lojapa hai, (Upendra) Khushwaha ji hai, Pappu Yadav hai aur bhi anek log hai. Nirdaliya bhi hongey. Sabhi ko lekar BJP sarkaar banayegi (LJP is in play. Upendra Khushwaha is there too, and many other parties. Some independents will also win. BJP will form a government with these parties,” said one Rajput voter in the Bikram constituency near Patna.

In the same constituency, The Wire found that many Bhumihars were actively campaigning for the Congress candidate Siddharth, also from the same community. “Is baar badlaav chahiye. Sarkaar jayegi. (We want change this time, the government will fall),” said an elderly retired teacher, Ram Vinay Sharma, who also belonged to the Bhumihar caste.

Ram Vinay Sharma. Photo: Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta

Brahmins in south and central Bihar are relatively smaller in number and do not exercise much influence. However, they clearly preferred a Nitish-led government owing to the lack of a credible alternative.

The mood amongst these groups changed slightly in favour of the government in the districts of Muzaffarpur and Samastipur but they still came across as highly fragmented groups. They voiced anger against the Nitish Kumar government but said they would vote for him nevertheless.

However, the terrain was characterised by marked aggression among a considerable number of Brahmins in favour of the JD(U)-BJP alliance. In several parts of north-west Bihar, where Brahmins have a stronghold, the BJP had performed exceedingly well despite the Mahagathbandhan pulling off a stunning win in the 2015 elections. The sentiment against RJD was also much more belligerent amongst them. They clearly felt an undercurrent of change. The largely Brahmin-dominated Congress leadership in the state has been unsuccessful in neutralising the antipathy against RJD within the community.

Also read: Bihar Elections: A Poster War in Patna Reflects the BJP Vs RJD Battle

“Law and order situation in the state will deteriorate. Again, women will not be able to walk freely on the streets. People will get killed for no reason,” said one Brahmin voter in Muzaffarpur city.

“Once Modi ji addresses people here, winds will blow in favour of the BJP again,” said D.K. Dwivedi from a village near Motipur, an administrative block around 40 kilometres away from Muzaffarpur where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally on October 28.

A Rajput voter in Baddhiyan village near Arrah. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

The primary pitch they are making is against the RJD, while tactically staying away from discussing the Nitish Kumar government.

“Now, all communities stay with samanvay (coordination). With RJD coming to power, Bihar will again be pushed back to ‘forward versus backward’ politics,” said Mithilesh Jha, a priest in Muzaffarpur who was discussing electoral equations at a tea shop in the Darbhanga-Muzaffarpur highway.

The aggression shown by Brahmins in these regions is being countered by a similar consolidation among Yadavs and Muslims, who are considered RJD’s loyal vote bank. In other areas of the state, they spoke about “badlaav”, and a positive campaign to reduce unemployment, but here they sought to dispel RJD’s image as a rogue party.

“Bhatka rahe hai. Jungle raj bol bol kar asli muddon ki baaton se bach rahe hai (They are misleading people. By constantly talking about Jungleraj, they have cleverly deflected the real issues),” said Gautam Yadav in Kurhani village.

At the same time, vocal support for the state government by Brahmins has neutralised doubts amongst other upper caste communities, who appeared to be less scattered here than in other regions.

“Vikalp nahin hai. Isliye isi sarkaar ko vote denge, (We don’t have any option. So, we will vote for this government,” an apologetic Bhumihar voter in Bochaha told The Wire.

The lack of option or vikalp was a notion that appeared to have percolated down to upper and intermediary caste groups which have traditionally voted for the NDA.

Also read: Watch: Unemployed Youth in Bihar Want a Change of Government

Upper caste groups together form 15% of the state’s population, and therefore, have felt neglected ever since the Mandal era began in the 1990s. Their supremacy in both the social and political system was challenged and subsequently upended by backward class politics in this period. However, given their resources and relatively better educational qualifications, they have also disproportionately impacted political narratives in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at his supporters during the second leg of his campaign for Bihar assembly elections, in Muzaffarpur district, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Photo: PTI

From time to time, they have used their social influence to bargain with ruling parties. The RJD attempted to ingratiate itself with the Bhumhars in its second tenure from 1995-2000. It fell from their good books in its third tenure until 2005, which is when the upper caste groups successfully imprinted the Jungleraj narrative in Bihar politics. Its government eventually fell when, particularly, the Bhumhars completely abandoned the party.

With Nitish largely out of favour among these groups, anti-incumbency against him is only growing stronger despite the last-ditch coordinated efforts by Brahmins. In areas which are considered their strongholds, they haven’t been able to consolidate themselves in the way they had in previous elections.

However, it remains to be seen whether the RJD-led alliance in the campaign becomes the default beneficiary of this tumult. Other fronts haven’t been able to make a mark in the campaign. In the days to come, much will depend on how firmly the Mahagathbandhan dispels the scare of “jungle raj” perpetuated by upper castes, while also campaigning on issues of unemployment and education.

After Translation Error, US Deletes Reference To ‘Reckless Aggression’ in Rajnath Singh Remarks

If Singh had actually uttered the words, it would have been the first direct, public reference by an Indian leader to the ongoing six-month-long military stand-off with China during the dialogue.

New Delhi: Countries that take diplomacy seriously go to great lengths to produce authenticated English transcripts of all diplomatic interactions and pronouncements made in the public domain so that inaccurate transcriptions or mistranslations do not produce confusions – or worse.

While the Ministry of External Affairs meticulously follows this principle for its statements, the defence ministry clearly does not. As a result, the US State Department and Pentagon ended up putting words into defence minister Rajnath Singh’s mouth this week when they published a transcript of his opening remarks at the recent 2+2 dialogue in which they incorrectly had him referring to “reckless aggression” on the India-China border.

It took three days of media queries — queries which the Indian side tried to downplay — before the US State Department revised its transcript to remove the words which the video recording of the remarks clearly showed Rajnath Singh never made.

On October 27, Indian and US leaders in charge of their country’s foreign and defence portfolios sat down for their annual ‘2+2’ dialogue in New Delhi.

According to a video recording of the opening remarks, Defence minister Rajnath Singh said in Hindi that the partnership between India and the US was becoming more important due to current challenges. “Excellencies, Aaj ke samay mein jo challenges hum face kar rahe hai, uske wajah se humari partnership aur bhi mahatvapurn ho jati hai, aur bhavisya ko (inaudible) adharit karti hai… (The challenges that we are facing currently makes our partnership even more significant and give a future direction),” he said.

However, in the transcript released by the US State Department on October 27, this line does not appear Instead, Singh is quoted as stating, “Excellencies, in the area of defence we are challenged by reckless aggression on our northern borders…” The transcript for Singh’s remarks ends abruptly here, with the rest just deemed ‘inaudible’. This same transcript was also replicated on the US Defence Department’s website.

Also read: New Defence Agreement Done, Trump Administration Sees in India an Ally on China

If Singh had actually referred to “reckless aggression”, it would have been the first direct, public reference by an Indian leader to the ongoing six-month-long military stand-off with China during the dialogue.

Unlike both the US secretaries of State and Defence, Michael Pompeo and Mark Esper, who mentioned China by name in their public remarks, their Indian counterparts made no such explicit comment on their giant neighbour in the north.

The ministry of external affairs had released external affairs minister S. Jaishankar’s opening remarks, but the defence ministry never issued Singh’s statement.

During the weekly briefing on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs was asked to clarify the confusion over Rajnath Singh’s transcribed words. “I am a bit surprised at this question as the video is out in the public domain and I would urge you to look at them,” replied the MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.

The US finally changed the official transcript on October 30. Instead of “reckless aggression at northern borders”, Singh is quoted to have said more staidly, “Due to the challenges that we are facing today, our partnership has become even more important and it determines our future”. A linked footnote at the end of the document stated, “As Delivered in Hindi”.

The US embassy in New Delhi also added that the transcript had been initially made on the basis of the Hindi-to-English interpretation service provided by the Indian side. “The original U.S. transcript of the 2+2 opening statement was prepared from an audio recording of the Indian Government interpreter’s English-language delivery to US participants,” said the US embassy spokesperson.

In the audio of the interpretation, heard by The Wire, the interpreter comes to an abrupt stop after “northern borders”, and does not translate the rest of Singh’s statement in Hindi.

There is still no clear explanation as to how the Hindi words for “challenges that we are facing today” came to be interpreted as “reckless aggression on our northern borders”. One possible theory is that the interpreter was asked to interpret from a written text – which was subsequently revised, but never conveyed to her.

Congress to Move SC Against EC Order Revoking Kamal Nath’s ‘Star Campaigner’ Status

Nath had called a BJP candidate an ‘item’ while campaigning at Dabra.

Indore The Congress, on Friday, said that it will move to the Supreme Court against the Election Commission’s decision to revoke the ‘star campaigner’ status of its senior leader, Kamal Nath, ahead of the November 3 by-polls in Madhya Pradesh. Reacting to the development, Nath himself said that the EC had not given him any notice or hearing. Congress’ Rajya Sabha member and senior lawyer, Vivek Tankha, told reporters that a petition will be filed in the apex court as soon as possible.

The EC on Friday revoked the star campaigner status of the MP Congress chief and former chief minister for repeated violations of the model code while campaigning for bypolls to the 28 Assembly constituencies in the state.

While a political party pays for the expenditure of a star campaigner, an individual candidate pays for the expenditure of other campaigners.

The EC said it has carefully considered the matter and has observed with “displeasure that Kamal Nath despite being a leader of a political party is repeatedly violating the provisions of Model Code of Conduct and breaching the ethical and dignified behaviour”. The Commission referred to his remarks against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Last week, the EC had asked Nath not to use words like “item” in campaigning. He had used the jibe to hit out at state minister and BJP candidate Imarti Devi at a rally.

Reacting to the EC’s decision, Nath said, “Which post or position this star campaigner has? The EC had not given me any notice, nor had it asked me about it. Why they are doing this in the last two days of campaigning, they only know.” When asked if he will move the Supreme Court, he said, “Vivek Tankha is handling it, he will take a call.”

The Congress leader even defended his use of the word “item”. “I was in the Lok Sabha for so many years. There it is mentioned in the agenda sheet, item number 1, item number 2. That was in my mind. I have not said it to disrespect anyone,” he said. “Still I had said that if someone feels insulted, then I express regret,” the former chief minister added. Nath also claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not express disapproval about him in particular after the episode but only said disrespectful language should not be used for women.

When asked about BJP leaders’ demand that he apologise, Nath said, “It is not anyone’s demand, in the end I do what I feel is right and proper, because it (disrespecting the woman minister) was not my intention.”

Punjab: Protests Against New Farm Laws Have Seen 12 Farmers Die, Centre Remains Unmoved

While asserting that there is no question of relenting until the Centre rescinds the new laws, farmers in the state have been demanding the Punjab government to raise the compensation paid to the kin of the deceased farmers.

Chandigarh: The agitation of Punjab farmers against the Centre’s contentious farm laws has been the most significant one in the country, but it comes at a huge cost.

Twelve farmers have so far died, three in road mishaps, one slipped on a railway track, one died of suicide, and remaining seven succumbed to cardiac arrests and other underlying medical conditions, during the course of last two months of their unrelenting protests.

While the Punjab government has released Rs 3 lakh compensation to the families of deceased farmers, Bhartiya Kisan Union-Ugrahan, whose four members are among those died, are not satisfied. It has been demanding at least Rs 10 lakh financial assistance, a government job to kin and a waiver of pending farm debt of the family.

Also read: Will India’s Contract Farming Ordinance Be a Corporate Lifeline for Agriculture?

District administration complex, which houses offices of top district officials, have been shut in Mansa and Sangrur districts due to indefinite protests by BKU-Ugrahan members against the state’s indifference to their demands, of rolling back recent laws.

As a mark of protest, dead bodies of two farmers —  one each in Sangrur and Mansa districts — have not been cremated, and have been kept in the mortuaries of the government hospitals since their deaths on October 9.

“We will not end protests at district complex offices in Mansa and Sangrur districts, and will not cremate bodies of dead farmers till the time the state does not pay their families adequate compensation in all cases. Three lakh rupees cheque paid by the state in many cases is not adequate and not acceptable to us,” said Joginder Ugrahan, president of BKU-Ugrahan, which has been at the forefront of farmers’ agitation in Punjab.      

Deaths during protests 

Ever since the farmers’ protest began, the state health department has been issuing repeated instructions asking elderly people with comorbidities to stay put at home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, elderly farmers have joined protests, and have remained steadfast with their demands.

However, the case of Yaspal Singh (60), a farmer from Mehal Kalan in Barnala, is rather unfortunate as he died during a demonstration.

He was speaking from a dais on October 5, when he fell down on the stage. He was a diabetic and his sugar level had gone up. He was rushed to a nearby government hospital but did not survive.

Similarly, 57-year-old Jagraj Singh, a member of BKU (Kadian), fell sick at Mansa railway station on October 17. He was taken to Mansa civil hospital where he died during treatment. He suffered a heart attack.

Also read: Farm Laws: Over 500 Organisations Plan Nationwide Road Blockade on November 5

But these incidents have not stopped elderly farmers from taking in the protests, who actually form the majority of protestors.

They are squatting on railway tracks and near toll plazas in protest, besides holding demonstrations day and night outside the properties of corporates houses, like Adani and Reliance groups and private thermal plants to exert pressure on the Centre to roll back farm laws.

“There is a fear among farmers that new bills will snatch away their MSP and mandi system. My father joined the protest with this very conviction, but sadly he could not hold up too long due to poor health issues,” said Jagtar Bawa, son of 70-year-old Megh Raj Bawa from Gobindpura Nagri village in Sunam Tehsil of Sangrur district, who died of cardiac arrest earlier this month.

Megh Raj, a small-time farmer with landholding of not more than two acres, was also a kavishar (a performer of folk songs). Jagtar recalled that his father had penned his own ballads and fondly sang in farmers’ protests to invoke the revolutionary spirit among the protestors.

“But fate had its own ways. He suddenly collapsed soon after he finished singing a ballad at a farmers’ congregation near the toll plaza at Dhuri road in Sangrur on October 9,” lamented Jagtar.

Amrik Singh Ganduan, district president of BKU-Ugrahan, recalled that Megh Raj had been immediately taken to hospital after he collapsed on the stage but he could not survive.

Since then, BKU-Ugrahan has been demanding the local administration for Rs 10 lakh compensation and a job for deceased’s kin, but local officials and other top state government officers have not responded yet, he added.

To mount pressure on the local administration, the farmers’ union did not cremate Bawa’s body, which has been still kept at the mortuary of Dhuri Government Hospital.

As talks did not yield results, farmers laid siege to the District Administration Complex in Sangrur on October 20. Farmers, currently squatted outside all three gates of the district complex office, are not allowing anyone to enter there, virtually bringing all the government business of the district to a standstill.

farmer protests Punjab

Elderly women have been blocking entry to Sangrur district administration complex in Punjab to protest against central farm laws. Photo: Vivek Gupta

While deputy commissioner Ramvir Singh, who is forced to work from his home, said that the matter is being resolved through dialogue at various levels.

Meanwhile, Amrik Singh told The Wire that they would not open gates of the district administration complex until assurance of a government job and adequate compensation are provided to the families of the deceased farmers.

Sixty-five-year-old Labh Singh, who belongs to Bhullerheri village in Dhuri block of the district, had faced a similar fate. He suffered a heart attack during a protest called by BKU Dakaunda at Sangrur railway station.

His son Nazam Singh (32) said that his father was mostly staying at the dharna site on railway station since October 1 and hardly visited home. All of sudden, he experienced pain in the chest in the early hours on October 15 and died later in the hospital.

BKU Dakaunda general secretary, Jagmohan Singh, said that Labh Singh’s family’s financial condition is not good. He was working as a private security guard to earn some extra income since the landholding with the family was not more than three acres. The deceased also had a debt of Rs 4 lakh.

Also read: An Ingenious Legislative Approach for States to Undo the Doom Spelled by Central Farm Laws

While area sub-divisional magistrate handed over Rs 3 lakh cheque to the family at his ‘Bhog’, Jagmohan Singh said the government help was insufficient. The family deserves more financial assistance and permanent security, which are still awaited, he added.

In Ropar district too, a 69-year-old farmer sitting on a dharna at the Solkhian toll plaza against the farm laws died of a heart attack on October 18. The deceased was later identified as Capt. Dilbar Hussain, sarpanch of Mianpur village.

Harbans Singh (62), a district level leader of BKU (Sidhupur) in Patiala, was another one to have lost his life due to cardiac arrest. He had been participating in protests since October 17. Effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being burnt in Patiala when he suffered cardiac arrest and was declared dead when he was taken to local government hospital. His body was later cremated by his family.

The death of 54-year-old Joginder Singh is another tragic incident. He hailed from Cheema Khurd village in Taran Taran district.

Pargat Singh, a local leader of Jamuhri Kishan Sabha, said that the deceased was sitting at the protesting site at Beas railway station. In the early hours of October 24, he experienced pain in the chest. He was taken to hospital but died on the way.

He said that the administration announced Rs 5 lakh compensation, which is very less. The deceased had just half an acre land and was surviving on it. His son is a taxi driver with a private tour operator in Chandigarh, and barely manages to earn his livelihood, said Pargat Singh. 

‘Insincere efforts of the Punjab government’

On the first day of the special session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, called on October 19 to oppose the central farm laws, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh led the House in paying homage to farmers who lost their lives during the ongoing protests. Ram Singh, district Mansa president of BKU-Ugrahan, however, said that what was the use of such hollow steps if the families of those died could not be compensated adequately.

Also read: Punjab’s New Farm Laws: High on Rhetoric, Short on Ideas?

He quoted an example of 82-year-old widow Tej Kaur who died at Budhlada railway station after slipping on the track ballast. He said that the lady has four sons, all farmers and have a total family debt of Rs 26 lakh.

“We have closed the local district administrative complex since October 13 in pursuit of our demand for adequate compensation. Our stir will continue until our demands are met,” he asserted.

Farmers' protest Punjab

Sangrur district administration complex in Punjab wears a deserted look as farmers have blocked all gates in protest against the central farm laws. Photo: Vivek Gupta

Although 54-year-old Mithu, son of deceased Tej Kaur, acknowledged the concern shown by the state government to the farmers who died during protests, however, he said they were not able to perform her mother’s last rites due to inadequate compensation.

The death of 33-year-old Gurpeet Singh Rangi is the most unfortunate one. Resident of Gopalpur near Ludhiana, he became a victim of road mishap near a protest site on Ludhiana–Malerkotla road.

His close associate Surinder Singh recalled that Gurpreet participated in demonstrations at Lehra toll plaza and Jagera Reliance petrol pump, but met with an accident on the way to another protest site nearly two weeks ago.

“While culprits are still at large, we fear that he was hit from behind by some drunkard driver,” he added.

Surinder Singh said that the deceased was a marginal farmer and owned less than two acres of land. He is survived by his wife, a five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter. The government must help his family as they are in deep shock, he said.

Two more farmers died due to road mishaps. On September 22, a bus carrying over 40 farmers from Badal village to Kishangarh village in Mansa district had met with an accident at Kot Bhara village in Bathinda. Mukhtair Singh (62) of Kishagarh had died on the spot, while 17 others had been injured. This bus was ferrying farmers after a demonstration at Badal village had ended.

Another farmer, Wazir Singh (70), who was also injured in the same accident succumbed to his injuries on October 3 at a Bathinda hospital. He was also from Kishangarh. His family cremated his body without waiting for any response from the government over demands of farm unions.

Sixty-five-year-old Preetam Singh, a farmer from Akkanwali of village in Mansa district, was first to die for the farmers’ cause.  On September 18, when protests were at the initial stage, he consumed sulphas tablets at a demonstration outside former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s house. He was rushed to hospital, but could not survive. His body was cremated after the government provided his family a compensation of Rs 3 lakh.

Unrelenting farmers  

It was hoped that Punjab chief minister’s populist move to incorporate the provision of mandatory minimum support price (MSP) based buying of agriculture produce and three-year imprisonment to violators would pacify the farmers organisations in Punjab. But they are in no mood to lower their guards. In fact, they are in process of aligning with other organisations in different parts of India to take their protest to the next level.

Sukhdev Singh Kokri, general secretary of BKU-Ugrahan, said that 250 farmers organisations held a meeting under the banner of All India Kishan Sangarsh Coordination Committee in Delhi on October 27 in which it was decided to hold a massive protest in Delhi on November 26 and 27 against the central farm laws. He said that they will not step back until the Centre withdraws these laws.

Meanwhile, Northern Railways has refused to resume the freight as well as passenger train services in Punjab.

“Some papers have published that train services in Punjab have been resumed. It is clarified once again that this is nothing but false news and trains are not running as of now,” Deepak Kumar, chief public relations officer of Northern Railways said in a press release issued on October 29. Train services are hit since October 1 when farmers launched rail-roko (train stoppage) stir as part of their on-going protest.

On October 21, some 30 odd farmers’ organisations decided to shift demonstrations from railway tracks after the chief minister appealed to them to clear tracks since the supply of coal and fertilizers had almost exhausted in the state due to suspension of the goods trains.

Also read: Turning the Fantasy of ‘Free-Markets’ and ‘Choice’ in Indian Agriculture Into Reality

Even as railways resumed freight service a day later on October 22, it was again stopped the next day as BKU (Ugrahan) refused to lift the blockade of the railway tracks.

As the Ministry of Railways having clearly told the Congress government the services would not be re-started till the blockade was lifted, three Punjab cabinet ministers —  Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Sarkaria and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa —  called BKU-Ugrahan for a meeting in Chandigarh on October 29 to clear the tracks.

They told the union that there were minimal coal stocks left and that the state was staring at a blackout in case it did not get the much-needed coal immediately for running the plants.

But the union declined the request. On why it has been done, union president Joginder Ugrahan in a media release stated that they are not sitting on the main railway lines. Their agitation is only outside private thermal plants that have been supplying expensive electricity to the state under faulty power purchase agreements.

He said that state deliberately disconnected its own state-run thermal plants and was now buying electricity from private players at high cost against the larger public interest of the state.

“We will not lift the blockade here. The state should think of taking over these power plants,” he asserted.

Sri Lanka Worried About Indian Ocean’s Securitisation, Impact of Quad Military Alliance

“We are observing the rise of Quad as an exclusive military alliance. That is the problem. If Quad is aiming at economic revival, there are no issues.”

New Delhi: With Australia set to join the Malabar naval exercises next month, Sri Lanka is grappling with questions about the potential rise of the ‘Quad’ as a military alliance and the securitisation of the Indian Ocean.

These concerns were revealed by the Sri Lankan foreign secretary Jayanath Colombage at an online webinar on deepening India-Sri Lanka ties organised by Shillong-based think-tank Asian Confluence.

“We are watching what is happening in the Quad. Do we really need a quad? Will Quad not give rise – not to a cold war – but at least a cool war in the Indian ocean? these are some of our concerns…,” Sri Lankan foreign secretary said on Thursday.

The ‘Quad’ is the colloquial term for the informal grouping of four countries – the United States, Japan, India and Australia – which first met in 2007. However, due to an objection from China, some of the countries withdrew from this format and it went into dormancy.

With the US championing the Indo-Pacific strategy, the Quad resumed its meeting at senior official level in 2017. The format was elevated to a ministerial level on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, last year. This time, the Quad foreign ministers met for the first standalone ministerial meeting in Tokyo earlier this month.

A week after the Tokyo meeting, India invited Australia to join the trilateral Malabar exercise, which already included Japan and the US. The Wire had learnt that the invitation to Australia was a direct result of the Quad ministerial meeting in Tokyo.

Referring to Australia joining the Malabar exercise, Colombage noted, “We are observing the rise of Quad as an exclusive military alliance. That is the problem. If Quad is aiming at economic revival, there are no issues.”

He then went on to admit that Sri Lanka does not have a say in this, with these decisions being the preserve of the “major powers” in Indian Ocean. “Of course, (Indian external affairs minister) Mr Jaishankar… said that the Quad is a very natural evolution outcome of a more multipolar world. Well, if that (leads to)…a more inclusive multipolar world, I think that Sri Lanka as a small country will be very, very happy”.

Watch:  Indo-Pacific and Quad: Views from Australia and New Zealand

He pointed out that Sri Lanka was at the intersection of two strategic policies in the Indian Ocean. “Unfortunately, or fortunately, Sri Lanka is at the crossroad of both – (the United States’) Indo-Pacific as well as (the Chinese) Belt and Road Initiative.”

He noted that Sri Lanka was “very conscious of the militarisation of maritime trade. “It is a fact that from 2009 till now, 550 warships from 28 countries have visited Sri Lanka. That is a huge number. That is an indication of how militarised this region has become.”

While referring to the key pillars of Lankan foreign policy, the former Sri Lankan naval chief, Colombage asserted that Sri Lanka was a “neutral” and “non-aligned” country. “…we don’t want to be caught up in this power game. This was reiterated by our president when the Chinese vice premier visited Sri Lanka just two weeks ago and yesterday (October 28) when Mike Pompeo visited.”

China’s senior diplomat and a high-ranking communist party political bureau member, Yang Jiechi had visited Sri Lanka in the second week of October. It was followed just two weeks later by the visit of the US secretary of state who was on a multi-nation Asian tour.

China has consistently been among Sri Lanka’s top foreign investors. Chinese investment in big ticket infrastructure assets like ports has caused considerable concern in New Delhi over the years. The election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the presidential elections had led to anxiety in India that China will return to a dominant position in Colombo.

The Sri Lankan foreign secretary indicated that New Delhi should not be concerned.

“We will not, we cannot be, we should not be a strategic security concern to India. Period. We have to understand the importance of India in the region and we have to understand that Sri Lanka is very much in the maritime and air security umbrellas of India. We need to benefit from that”.

Also read: The Quad Is Poised to Become Openly Anti-China Soon

Colombage underlined that India had to also imbibe the message that Sri Lanka will not undermine India’s strategic security. “Our president and our government has been reiterating this again and again and again”.

He even claimed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had also conveyed this message to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Yesterday (October 28), I will confess to you, in front on Mike Pompeo, our president said that as long as I am in power, I will never allow to harm India’s strategic interests. I was very happy when he was reiterating this to secretary of state.”

After taking over as foreign secretary in August, Colombage had also told a Sri Lankan newspaper that the Gotabaya administration was going to take an “India first” approach in its regional foreign policy. His words are clearly targeted to ameliorate the unease in New Delhi over the return of the Rajapaksa family to power.