This Picture Of Farmers Facing The Full-Force Of A Water Cannon & Still Refusing To Budge Shows Their Resolve
Thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana tried to make their way to Delhi protesting against the farm bills introduced by the government. The borders had been sealed barricades erected and water cannons were used to force the farmers to disperse. The image shows three farmers bearing the full force of a water cannon but refusing to leave.
As thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana tried to make their way to Delhi, protesting against the farm bills introduced by the government, they found that the borders had been sealed, barricades erected and water cannons at the ready.
Shame on Indian Government ????#ModiAgainstFarmers #FarmersBill2020 #FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/38j5jvE1fq
¡ª Arsh (@arshbrar_05) November 26, 2020
Soon enough, despite the freezing cold currently prevalent in north India, the water cannons were used to force the farmers to disperse. Among the many others, one picture hits hard - heart and soul.
We Demand Justice for our Farmers!#FarmersDilliChalo#FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/95JVZ0Whn9
¡ª Anurag (@Anuragkukreti7) November 26, 2020
Also Read: Blocked Roads, Tear Gas And Water Cannons - How Farmers Who Feed Us Are Treated En Route Delhi
The image shows three farmers bearing the full force of a water cannon, but refusing to leave; one of them can be seen lying down. It¡¯s possibly one of the most powerful representations of what resistance looks like and what it can sometimes take, to make your voice heard.
It's also worth noting that these protests come at a time when Delhi is struggling to rein in the number of COVID infections, and the protesting farmers are at risk of much more than just water cannons.
Police officials from Haryana allegedly used tear gas shells to disperse farmers from Punjab, trying to jump barricades and enter Haryana; ANI had posted a video of a tear gas shell being hurled at protesting farmers:
#WATCH | Security personnel use fire tear gas shells to disperse a crowd of farmers gathered at the Shambhu border between Haryana and Punjab, to protest the farm laws pic.twitter.com/11NfwLcEQZ
¡ª ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2020
The Delhi police had reportedly rejected requests by farmer organisations, to protest in the national capital. It had also warned farmers a day before the scheduled Delhi chalo march, that legal action would be taken against protesters if they entered the city, given the precarious situation due to COVID-19.
Also read: Punjab Farmer Protests: Tracks Blocked At 22 Locations As Farmers Want Govt To Listen To Them
Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, appealed to the farmers to not agitate and engage in dialogue.
¡°I want to appeal to our farmer brothers to not agitate. We're ready to talk about issues and resolve differences. I'm sure that our dialogue will have a positive result.¡±
He also said, ¡°New farm laws were the need of the hour. In the coming time, it's going to bring revolutionary changes. We've spoken at the secretary level in Punjab to dispel wrong notions of our farmer brothers there. We'll talk on December 3.¡±