#FarmersProtest2020 icon reveals four-month torture ordeal amid #FarmersProtest2024

A globally renowned Sikh activist exposed the severe torture he experienced at the hands of the Indian authorities in an interview with Pro Punjab TV.

26-year-old Navdeep Singh, a farmer turned respected activist speaking on Punjab’s rights, hailing from Ambala, was hailed as a hero after a video of him turning off a police water cannon during the 2020 Farmers Protest went viral. He was arrested on the 28th of March 2024, even though he performed his celebrated act the 25th of November 2020. After four months without trial, he was released on bail on the 16th of July 2024.

Within two days of being released on bail, Navdeep Singh spoke out about the torture he had experienced. This included officers forcibly removing his turban and clothes, holding his head under water so he could not breath and threatening the lives of his family members. Singh also reported being tied to a chair and having weight put on his legs to force them apart, making him unable to stand for hours and leaving Navdeep Singh thinking he was going to die.

The authorities asked him why he was being such a hero, and who was paying him, seizing
access to his accounts. Several members of the Indian authorities, from the NIA, CID and others, were complicit in
this torture, including Police inspector Harjinder Khehra according to local reports.

Navdeep Singh is currently on bail for two cases, but because of his heroic actions during the protest he has consistently been harassed and charged by the police. When the incident first occurred during the Farmers Protest 2020, Navdeep Singh was charged with attempt to murder. He, along with Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Gurnam Singh Chaduni, were accused of breaking police barricades and attempting to run over policemen with a tractor trolley.

Additionally, Navdeep faced charges of violating COVID-19 norms. These charges were based on a complaint from head constable Pardeep Kumar and included sections for rioting, unlawful assembly, obstructing public servants, and
negligent acts likely to spread infection.

The FIR claimed that some police officers narrowly escaped being run over by tractors. Navdeep’s actions, which were captured on camera, included jumping off his tractor to turn off the water cannon and then being chased by a policeman, contradicting police statements. He then managed to escape back to his tractor.

The incident drew widespread criticism on social media regarding the treatment of the
farmers, with major political figures like Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and
Capt Amarinder Singh speaking on Navdeep Singh’s case, which is cited as yet another story of the persecution of a Sikh activist rendered into a political prisoner.

You can read more about the Farmers Protest 2020 here, and see how this has developed
into the Farmers Protest 2024 here.