Sikh man dies after police violence amid new farmers march

A Sikh man died from injuries sustained during a police attack, as Indian authorities attempted to prevent a new farmers protest march.

55-year-old farmer Pritam Singh was hurt yesterday (21.08.23) during a lathi (stick) charge by police in Longowal (Sangrur, Punjab) and passed the same night. Singh was part of a Punjab and Haryana farmers union march towards Chandigarh (India’s capital of Punjab), organised to today demand more government support for farmers after recent floods destroyed their lands.

The official police statement of the death claimed Pritam Singh died after falling under the wheels of a tractor, amid a police operation against many of the 32 farmer union groups passing through Longowal for a protest in Chandigarh. The operation saw violence towards the protesters, ending with cases put against 53 farmers, an unaccounted amount also detained and farmer vehicles damaged by police vandalism. Grassroots accounts have solely blamed police for Pritam Singh’s death during the melee, with their heavy-handed approach causing him to fall under a passing by tractor.

A further 100 farmers from Haryana and Punjab were also reported as arrested, with more detained across both states in an attempt to disrupt today’s gathering. Demonstrations about the arrests spread across Punjab, with some groups attempting to block highways in protest, whilst masses joined protests outside Longowal police station regarding the death of Pritam Singh.

The violence highlights that Indian police in Punjab have been tasked with violently disrupting the new farmer protest attempts by any means. Videos have gone viral of police attacking union groups all over the state, whilst lead figures within the groups have had their homes raided and faced house arrest. Many social commentators are criticising Punjab’s new Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party, whose party was advertised as bringing a fresh approach to Punjab, away from previous violent regimes. However, police violence in the state is arguably the worst it has been in a decade.

The uptake in State violence is believed to be an attempt to curb any potential movement as seen during the famous #FarmersProtest of 2020-2021, which resulted in a partly Sikh led movement forcing the Indian State to revoke three exploitative farm laws being forced on the agriculture sector. News of censorship (via Facebook) to hide the actions of Indian authorities have also been reported, particularly impacting respected journalist Mandeep Punia. Attempts to prevent the Chandigarh protest gathering even saw police trying to drive vehicles off the road.

Demands from the farmers will continue, as compensation packages are sought due to the ongoing impact of the Punjab floods. Along with these demands, farmer groups will now be pursuing justice for their arrested colleagues, some of whom remain imprisoned. Concerns about India’s violent response to the farmer demands remain prominent in global Sikh circles.

Chandigarh today