November 09, 2006

Anybody Interested In This Story?


Desperate situation need desperate measures. This is being driven home in such a contrasting style at Barnala, where an industrialist, backed by formidable state machinery with a silent complicity of political parties, civil society and media, has been taken on by the farmers trying to save their land from him.
The men and women of Fatehgarh Chhanna and Dhaula, both young and old, are patiently facing the police repression in a Gandhian way. Even Gandhi seemed to have lesser formidable opposition in Britishers who did not arrest him before he had actually reached Dandi and broken the law on salt during the Dandi march. Here the district police led by ruthless SSP himself hounded the protesting farmers with a zeal not usually seen in Punjab police.
It was a disturbing experience to watch the police terror from close quarters at village Dhaula. So much for the democracy and independence. What could be different during British rule?
(Read an eye witness account at http://www.punjabpanorama.blogspot.com/)
It’s a lonely fight for the villagers led by one faction of many of the farmers’ unions in Punjab, BKU (Ekta). No political party has come to their aid. The media does not feel it fit enough to report. In an election year it should have been surprising. Why it is not can be gauged from the company the industrialist Rajinder Gupta keeps. He is known to be close to both Akali and Congress leaders.
Most glaring has been the role of the media so far. Whatever little coverage is done of the whole issue is relegated to inside pages of the newspapers. Much of it is biased in favour of the Trident or is mild on the industrial group with few exceptions. Almost all of the electronic media has not found it worth their bites so far.

It's a sad story no body seems to be interested in.

2 comments:

An Ally said...

Yes, I read your post and I have always been interested. I pray for the wonderful people and farmers in the villages of Punjab.

jaypee said...

nice to read that. sad that we are not being able to do anything more than praying.