Celebration, caution at epicentre of ‘rail roko’ protests in Amritsar
AMRITSAR: When the Gurpurab procession began in Devi Dasspura village on Friday morning, a black flag put up prominently at the front of the cavalcade marked the villagers’ protest against the three farm laws. Less than two hours after the Prime Minister announced the withdrawal of the three laws, the black flag had made way for a white flag.
The villagers were, however, in no hurry to alter their mediumand long-term plans against the farm laws.
A tractor with half-a-dozen villagers will still leave for the Singhu border next Wednesday, their roster to send a tractor from the village to the protest site every month remains intact.
The villagers remain cautious though. “The farm laws were passed in Parliament. The withdrawal will also happen in Parliament, not just on TV,” said Harjinder Singh, a farmer, while attending the festival celebrations at the local gurdwara.
Located some 20km from the Golden Temple in Amritsar district, Devi Dasspura village is one of the very first spots to witness protests against the farm laws -- two months before farmers landed at the Delhi borders. It’s proximity to the railway lines made it a popular venue as hundreds of farmers joined a “rail roko” protest on three different occasions.
What began as a shirtless protest on the tracks on September 26 last year soon took the shape of a full-fledged protest in which tents were set up on the railway lines and langars were being cooked for hundreds everyday. They hampered the movement of trains on this route for 169 days before packing up. “We began the protest after our memorandums to government officials were ignored. That drew the media’s attention to the farm bill issues,” said Manpreet Singh, the village chief.
The village is situated 2km from the Grand Trunk Road. A narrow, winding and broken tar road leading to the village is flanked on both sides by
ploughed farms, some of which have potatoes, mustard and cauliflower growing on them. Villages said that more than half of the 4,000 residents here are directly or indirectly dependent on farming.
On Friday, the railway tracks bore no reminders of the protest, but the excitement due to the
fresh development was palpable. The festival only gave the villagers a readymade reason to gather. The news dominated discussions in small and large groups gathered in and around the gurdwara.
“It is like we have received a surprise gift,” said Kulwant Kaur, a homemaker belonging to a family of farmers actively involved in the “rail roko” protests. Even as the PM was making the announcement in the morning, the news was spreading like wildfire in the village and beyond.
Gursevak Singh, a farmer who usually doesn’t watch news channels, happened to be in front of the TV when the PM appeared on the screen. “He was talking about farmers and Gurpurab. Suddenly my sixth sense was telling me that the laws were going to be repealed,” said Gursevak.
Moments later, Gursevak was running to look for his wife. “She needed to know. She was sometimes apprehensive that all our efforts would amount to nothing,” said Gursevak.
Harpal Singh, chief of the local gurdwara, knew that a dance by two villagers was to celebrate something more than the annual festival. “They were banging their chests against each other. They appeared mad,” he said.
For most villagers, WhatsApp groups of protesters were the primary source of the news. Suddenly, the Gurpurab wishes gave way to congratulatory messages, details of the announcement and images and videos of the PM on TV. Many villagers were overwhelmed by the phone calls, many even from their relatives abroad.
“Soon, there were no Gurpurab greetings unaccompanied by congratulatory messages for this victory,” said Kashmir Singh, member of the village panchayat.
In no time, villagers were gathered in small groups. Some decided immediately to replace the black flag. Others discussed long-term plans.
Among the first ideas was to enhance the prasad menu, but it was quite late for that. They wished the news had come in a day earlier. “But it is well that we don’t over celebrate. The victory has come at a heavy cost. We don’t want to insult the hundreds of farmers who died fighting for this victory. That would be selfish,” said Gursevak.
Heavy fireworks, however, were hurriedly scheduled for the evening.
When the protests began on the railway lines in September, villagers remember that they had to worry about food only on day one. “By the second day, several groups had taken over the food arrangements. There were protesters from four districts gathering here,” said Baljeet Kaur, another local woman.
When the farmers eventually packed up from here, a few left for the Delhi borders while many occupied the toll plazas on GT Road near the village.
The attendance, however, was dipping by the day.
From as many as 30 villagers at once to just half-a-dozen at Singhu, the head count at the toll plazas sometimes dipped to as few as two.
The toll plazas, however, were vibrant on Friday. All dressed in new, bright clothes and feasting on jalebis, the farmers discussed the news which also included lots of rumours. “The PM also called the farm laws ‘kaala kanoon’ (black laws) on TV today,” a farmer told the gathering. No one fact checked him.