Shubkarman Singh's 'murder': With black flags in hand, protesters flood Punjab streets

By Harsh Thakor*

Spirit of vengeance is simmering at a boiling point, with Punjab farmers appear determined to bring the killers to the book. Hundreds of enraged and grief-torn people -- women, men and even children -- with black ribbons hung tied and black flags in hand flooded Punjab streets observing ‘Aakrosh Diwas’ to protest the death of young farmer Shubhkarman Singh on February 21 at the Khanauri borders during the ongoing Dilli Chalo agitation.

In addition, residents planted black flags atop their houses and on vehicles as a symbol of protest. The protest call was given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM).

“Revolution is in our blood. Demanding our legitimate rights is our right. If the government suppresses us by using force, we need to raise our voices. We are not part of the dharna at Shambhu and Khanauri, but that doesn’t mean we will not raise our voices against the atrocities of Haryana. Farmers at Shambhu said the social media handles of more than 170 people had been blocked by the Centre. This is the death of democracy,” Manjit Kaur from Khiddikalan village, Barnala, who burnt effigies along with other women, reportedly said.

Jatinder Kaur Chahal, another protester, said, “They (the government) need to test our DNA… our history…how resilient, we are as a community. If you resist, we will persist." Chahal and her husband Harcharan, a state committee member of the Association of Federation of Democratic Rights (AFDR), participated in the protest.

Writer and social activist Sushil Dosanjh planted a black flag atop his house in Taran Taran Friday morning, while many teenagers participated in the protest in Jagraon, Fazilka and Sangrur. Waheguru Singh of Barnala hoisted a black flag all alone outside his house, while Kanwaljit Singh of Jagraon said, “Bahut rosh hai man vich (we have so much anger in our minds)”. Saudagar Singh from Ghudani village in Ludhiana said, “Gussa vi hai, dukh vi hai…jwan bacha maar ditta (there is anger as well as grief… they killed our young child).”

Women in Kishangarh village of Mansa burnt effigies of several leaders and raised slogans against the Haryana government and the Centre. BKU (Ugrahan) members burnt effigies at 47 locations in 17 districts of Punjab, including Maur, Bathinda, Sunam, Sangrur, Moga and many other locations.

Central trade unions had also given a call to observe ‘Black Day’ along with the SKM. In Ludhiana, CTUs and SKM members protested jointly near the mini-secretariat. Led by CPI leaders Dr Arun Mitra and DP Maur, protesters holding black flags and wearing black ribbons burnt effigies.

Meanwhile, the SKM backed the Punjab government’s decision to provide compensation of Rs 1 crore and a job to a family member of 21-year-old Shubhkaran Singh, a resident of Balloh village in Bathinda district, who died allegedly in a clash with security personnel at the Punjab-Haryana Khanauri border.

Darshan Pal, SKM National Coordination Committee (NCC) member said, “The stand taken by the family of Shubhkaran and farmer organisations needs to be appreciated. The Punjab government needs to act fast as youngsters are getting killed on its territory.”

Pal added, “SKM reiterates its demand of registering an FIR under IPC section 302 (punishment for murder) against the people responsible for state repression and death of the farmers, and a judicial inquiry by a Supreme Court judge into the firing and damages caused to tractors.”

Meanwhile, deadlock between the farmer unions and the Punjab government has continued. According to the farmer unions, there was no response from the Punjab government even on Saturday. “The family as well as the unions have demanded registration of FIR with murder charges against the persons who gave orders to open fire on the protesting farmers at the Khanauri border and without that, they will not cremate the body.”

A day after suspending the ‘Dilli Chalo’ march till February 29, protesting farmers relentlessly waged a battle at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu and Khanauri borders. They staged a candle march on Saturday evening. The march will be sustained till the next course of action is decided on February 29, confirmed farmer union leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal in a press conference at Khanauri border.

Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma wrote to his Haryana counterpart Sanjeev Kaushal seeking custody of Pritpal Singh, a farmer who is undergoing treatment in PGI Rohtak in Haryana after getting injured in the farm agitation. “You are requested to hand over Sh. Pritpal Singh to Punjab authorities so that his treatment may get done in Punjab, free of cost by the Punjab government. If any other agitating farmer from Punjab is under treatment from Haryana, he should also be handed over to us.”

Farmers participating in the 'Delhi Chalo' call will not withdraw their agitation until their demands are met, stated farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher . This conveyed that their agitation will not be withdrawn even after the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls is implemented.

Thousands of farmers have been resiliently sitting at Khanauri and Shambhu points on Punjab's border with Haryana along with their tractor-trolleys and trucks after their march to the national capital to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, was disrupted by security forces.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Ahmedabad's Sabarmati riverfront under scrutiny after Subhash Bridge damage

By Rosamma Thomas* Large cracks have appeared on Subhash Bridge across the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, close to the Gandhi Ashram . Built in 1973, this bridge, named after Subhash Chandra Bose , connects the eastern and western parts of the city and is located close to major commercial areas. The four-lane bridge has sidewalks for pedestrians, and is vital for access to Ashram Road , Ellis Bridge , Gandhinagar and the Sabarmati Railway Station .

Farewell to Robin Smith, England’s Lionhearted Warrior Against Pace

By Harsh Thakor* Robin Smith, who has died at the age of 62, was among the most adept and convincing players of fast bowling during an era when English cricket was in decline and pace bowling was at its most lethal. Unwavering against the tormenting West Indies pace attack or the relentless Australians, Smith epitomised courage and stroke-making prowess. His trademark shot, an immensely powerful square cut, made him a scourge of opponents. Wearing a blue England helmet without a visor or grille, he relished pulling, hooking and cutting the quicks.

No action yet on complaint over assault on lawyer during Tirunelveli public hearing

By A Representative A day after a detailed complaint was filed seeking disciplinary action against ten lawyers in Tirunelveli for allegedly assaulting human rights lawyer Dr. V. Suresh, no action has yet been taken by the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, according to the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).

Latur’s quiet rebel: Dr Suryanarayan Ransubhe and his war on Manuvad

By Ravi Ranjan* In an India still fractured by caste, religion, and language, where narrow loyalties repeatedly threaten to tear the nation apart, Rammanohar Lohia once observed that the true leader of the bahujans is one under whose banner even non-bahujans feel proud to march. The remark applies far beyond politics. In the literary-cultural and social spheres as well, only a person armed with unflinching historical consciousness and the moral courage to refuse every form of personality worship—including worship of oneself—can hope to touch the weak pulse of the age and speak its bitter truths without fear or favour.

Differences in 2002 and 2025 SIR revision procedures spark alarm in Gujarat

By A Representative Civil rights groups and electoral reform activists have raised serious concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gujarat and 11 other states, alleging that the newly enforced requirements could lead to large-scale deletion of legitimate voters, particularly those unable to furnish documentation linking them to the 2002 electoral list.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

From crime to verdict: The 27-year journey that 'rewarded' the destroyers of Babri Masjid

By Shamsul Islam Thirty-three years ago, on December 6, 1992, a 16th-century mosque was reduced to rubble by a frenzied mob orchestrated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its political fronts. The demolition was not a spontaneous outburst of Hindu sentiment; it was the meticulously planned culmination of a hate campaign that branded Indian Muslims as “Babur-ki-aulad” and the Babri Masjid as a symbol of historical humiliation.

Search This Blog