Martyrs' day observed in Moga; farm labour protest held in Sangrur

By Harsh Thakor*

The Lok Sangram Morcha observed Martyrs’ Day in Moga, Punjab, on July 27. The event, held at Independence Welfare Bhavan, was conducted by Balwant Makhu, Sarban Singh, Gurdeep Vairoke, and press in-charge Paramjit Jaree.

Tributes were paid to figures including Avtar Singh Dhudke, Prithipal Singh Randhawa, Lal Inder Singh Lali, Baba Bhuja Singh, Kanhai Chatterjee, Charu Mazumdar, Basavaraju, and Udham Singh—representing a range of historical figures including political activists, student leaders, and freedom fighters.

The programme began with an opening by Darshan Turi, followed by a two-minute silence. Slogans were raised by Paramjit Jaree, and a song was performed by Ajmer Akaliya.

Participants included members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari), Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union, and Krantikari E-Rickshaw Union.

Speakers highlighted various social issues including the displacement of Adivasis, state repression, and concerns regarding corporate acquisition of natural resources. They called for unity among democratic organisations. Speakers included Lakhveer Singh of Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union, Rajesh Malhotra, Sukhmander Singh, and BKU (Krantikari) leaders Baldev Jari and Gurdeep Vairoke.

Tara Singh Moga concluded the programme by thanking attendees and organisations, reiterating their commitment to the legacy of the individuals commemorated.

Protest in Sangrur Against Detentions and Land Policy

Separately, on July 25, a protest was held in Sangrur by farm labourers and union members following what they described as an informal ban on public demonstrations. The event took place at the Anaj Mandi in Sangrur and was organised by groups including the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee (ZPSC), Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, and Pendu Mazdoor Union.

According to protest organisers, 16 union leaders arrested in May remained in custody. Lachhman Singh Sewewala, general secretary of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, stated that demonstrators had previously been detained preemptively to prevent protests. He added that the July 25 rally marked a significant mobilisation despite these restrictions.

The background to the protest lies in a May 20 demonstration over a disputed 100-acre parcel of land in Bhamanwali village, formerly under the Jind princely state. Protesters demanded that the unused land be distributed to landless Dalit families and farm labourers under land reform policies. As protests escalated, several activists were detained, with 16 reportedly still incarcerated.

The rally began with a two-minute silence in memory of Jagtar Singh Tolewal, a senior ZPSC leader who recently passed away. Speakers criticised what they referred to as increasing state use of police powers to suppress protests.

“The state is misusing law enforcement mechanisms to curb democratic expression,” said Mukesh Maloud, president of ZPSC. Other speakers included Joginder Ugrahan (BKU-Ugrahan), Nirbhay Singh Dhudike (Kirti Kisan Union), Bhupinder Singh Longowal (Kirti Kisan Union), and Gurbinder Singh.

Demands included the repeal of the land pooling policy, implementation of the Land Ceiling Act, and redistribution of surplus land to the landless. Protesters also condemned alleged arbitrary arrests and demolition drives targeting marginalised communities.

Additional speakers at the rally included Kulwant Singh Kishangarh (BKU-Ekta Dakaunda), Tarsem Peter (Pendu Mazdoor Union), Kulwinder Waraich (IFTU), Vikram Dev (Democratic Teachers’ Front), and representatives of Krantikari Kisan Union, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, and Istri Jagriti Manch.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Search This Blog