Some old, some young but all have one mission: To fight injustice and ‘give us our daily bread’
A year after they staged a silent protest in different parts of Maharashtra, Wednesday’s protest in the city was triggered after a teenage Marathi girl from Kopardi was raped and murdered by three men. The protest also demanded farmers’ loan waiver, reservation in government jobs and education and amendment in the Prevention of Atrocities Act.
People from all walks of life from the Marathi community participated in the rally. With both young and old holding placards and flags demanded strict action against the rapists. They gathered at the Azad Maidan where speeches were made. This is likely to be the last Maratha rally.
The primary demands included death penalty to rapists. Other issues like farmers’ loan waiver, Maratha reservation and tweaking of the atrocities Act were also raised.
Akash Shinde, a 22-year-old farmer from Beed, said, “Farmers are going through a very bad phase and are living in inhumane conditions. Unaffordable interest rates on loans have troubled us throughout. However, it is even more difficult for us to erase the Kopardi case from our memories. The accused cannot get away after committing such an evil act. Therefore, we need to primarily focus on such major issues faced by women.”
‘Govt is not for the living but for the dead’
A group of four farmers from Buldhana district took a halt over the JJ Flyover after walking for hours in the rally. They said they have lakhs of debts to be paid but are broke. Rambhau Jamre, a 53-yearold farmer from Nandura village, said, “We get a loan of Rs 6,000 per acre for which we run from pillar to post to gather all documents. The process is too long and till the time we receive the amount, we end up spending over Rs 2,000. The government pays Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the family of a farmer who commits suicide. If they would have helped him before, he would not have committed suicide. This clearly states that the government is not for the living but for the dead.”
‘Life barely stitched like our shoes’
Munsaji Pachkor, a 70-yearold farmer from Parbhani district, expressed his displeasure towards the government’s inability to resolve farmers’ issues. Pachkor told FPJ, “We do not have enough water, huge farmlands, money or seeds. We hardly manage to live a normal life. Once drought hits us, we are left devastated throughout the year with no source of income and adequate food. The condition of my shoes is the exact circumstances we live — barely stitched. But I will keep fighting against injustice even if I don’t wear them.”
We do not have enough water, huge farmlands, money or seeds.We hardly manage to live a normal life. Our lives are like out shoes — incomplete and unstitched
‘No matter how old, I will fight against rape’
Purshotam Patil, a 63 year old farmer from Jalgaon, said age does not matter when you fight for justice. Patil said he to part in this year’s rally particularly for demanding strict action against the rape accused.
“I have taken part in several rallies related to farmers’ issues. The government needs to be made aware of our issues through these massive rallies. The Kopardi rape case has been very disturbing for our entire community and unless the government initiates strict action against the rapists, our women will not feel safe. No matter how old I turn, I will continue my fight against rape.”