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(This article was first published on 7 December 2020. It has been republished from The Quint's archives over the SC's remarks on women at farmers' protest.)
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other parts of India are camping at the borders of Delhi to protest the new farm laws passed in September. Among these farmers are also women who have walked miles from home to be part of this agitation. The Quint spoke to these women farmers to understand their struggles and demands.
Harinder Kaur has come all the way from Amritsar with her son to participate in the protests. She told The Quint that contrary to popular perception, women play a very crucial role in the agricultural sector. “I agree men are central to farming. They plough the fields, drive the tractors, water the fields at night among many other things. But a woman has bigger role to play here,” she said.
Gurmeet, also a farmer from Amritsar in Punjab, says that it is an extremely unpleasant experience for women to be out on the streets. However, this fight is such that they had to come.
When asked about the use of force by the cops on farmers on their way to the national capital, Hardeep from Sangrur in Punjab said that she doesn’t fear the water cannons and will not go back until the government repeals the three farm laws.
Adding to this, Harinder Kaur said that they anticipated these difficulties when they were leaving from home. But they are determined to not let go of the fight. She also told us that several people have come forward to help the farmers in their journey.
“When we left home, we felt that we will face many difficulties and that has actually happened. But as soon as we crossed Haryana, we received lots of love and help from our brothers in Haryana and then when we came here and camped in Delhi, people here helped us. At the Kundli border we received timely help from Khalsa aid and Bangla Sahib Langar and others helped,” Kaur said.
These women told us that despite the difficulties, they will not go back until the government agrees to roll back the new farm laws.
“Women are facing more difficulties than men. But this is an experience of a lifetime and when we return after our victory, we will tell women back home about our experiences and the fight we’ve fought,” Gurmeet added.
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