COURTESY HT JAN 10

Groom joins stir at Barnala toll plaza, wheelchair-bound man reaches Singhu

Jagdeep Singh joined farmers’ protest at Mehal Kalan toll plaza in Barnala before reaching his would-be wife’s house. HT PHOTO
Avtar Singh

avtar.singh1@htlive.com

BARNALA : Hundreds of farmers protesting against the three farm laws at the Mehal Kalan toll plaza for over 100 days got the support of 30-year-old groom, Jagdeep Singh, who visited the toll before moving to his bride’s place.

Jagdeep, a junior engineer with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), also donated Rs 11,000 to farmers, and promised that he would soon join the dharna at Delhi border with his wife.

The son of an ex-serviceman, Jagdeep, who hails from Thikriwala village, reached the protest site in 10-12 cars with his wedding guests also in tow. The vehicles carried flags of BKU (Dakaunda) and moved to Dad village in Ludhiana after the protest. The farmers and the wedding guests raised slogans against the BJP government and demanded the repeal of the three agriculture laws.

“I am from a farming family. We have decided to stand by our farmers. A day before the wedding, we carried out a march with BKU flags, as weddings are important social events, which usually see large gatherings. Today, after praying at Gurdwara Sahib, I visited the protest site and attended the dharna against farm laws,” Jagdeep said.

Narain Dutt, a protester, claimed that instead of listening to farmers, the government was defaming them. “Kisan unions have been working for farmers’ rights for decades. However, our youth have started participating in the protests, which is a good sign,” he added.

Physical limitations no deterrence

At Delhi’s Singhu border, sitting on a wheelchair, Harvinder Singh from Punjab’s Jalandhar interacts with fellow farmers camping there to protest against the Centre’s new agri laws. His physical limitations due to polio have rendered him on a wheelchair for decades but that has not deterred him from joining the over a month-long agitation, leaving behind his ailing mother at his native village. I may have lost all hopes of recovery from polio but I have not lost hope for a positive outcome from this agitation, he says. Singh, who has been camping at the border for a month now, said he has been battling polio since childhood and has lost all hopes of recovery but this agitation is a ray of hope for him.

( With PTI inputs)