Tikri Farmer Protests: Another Woman Sexually Harassed; Sale Of Intoxicating Substances Skyrocket Near The Site: Reports

A month after the death of a 25-year-old woman who was allegedly gang-raped in a camp at the Tikri border farmer protest, another woman has levelled sexual harassment allegations.

The victim, a nurse, who had volunteered to create awareness about COVID-19 and vaccinations amongst protestors, shared her ordeal on social media. She said that the male volunteers passed lewd comments against her, and when she protested, bullied her.

The incident occurred at a makeshift hospital at the protest site for agitating farmers known as Pind California located at Sector-9, Bahadurgarh Bypass.

When the victim complained to her senior - Dr Swaiman Singh - the woman was told that she will be let go as they cannot take responsibility for her safety. She was also told that “this was India not America”.

When the woman asked why she was being punished when she wasn’t in the wrong, Dr Singh allegedly told her, "You have been here for 2-3 days, while those volunteers [the perpetrators] have been here for 4-5 months. How can I fire them?".

Dr Swaiman Singh, a cardiologist from the United States, came back to India in November last year to provide medical services to the farmer protests.

The incident comes to light a month after the death of a 25-year-old woman from West Bengal who was allegedly gangraped at the protest site.

She had reached the protest site at Tikri in mid-April and was reportedly subjected to repeated sexual assault.

Her ordeal came to light after her father filed an FIR, naming six persons identified as Anil Malik, Anup Singh Chanaut, Ankur Sangwan, Kovita Arya, Jagdish Brar and Yogita Suhag, who went to West Bengal on behalf of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM).

The main perpetrators of the crime are alleged to be two AAP leaders who masterminded the entire incident. On 26 April, the victim displayed COVID symptoms was admitted to a hospital in Jhajjar, Haryana. She succumbed to death on 30 April.

Also read—Data story: Did the 'farmers' protest' cause the second wave of Covid-19 in india?

Curiously, the SKM leaders knew about the matter but allegedly didn’t inform the police. They later told that they were “investigating” the matter on their own to “verify the exact details”. Senior leaders including Yogendra Yadav are accused of pressurising the victim’s father to “settle” the matter.

“Most of the SKM leaders knew about the incident, we are surprised why they kept silent and didn’t allow us to meet her father who was under immense pressure. If any leaders are at fault, they should too be asked about all what happened, and why there was a delay in taking action,” BKU Ekta Ugrahan woman wing head Harinder Kaur Bindu was quoted as saying by TOI.

Meanwhile, a Dainik Jagran report also points out that the sale of intoxicating substances has skyrocketed near the protest sites.

On Tuesday (8 June), two intoxicated men were caught with stolen purses and other goods at the protest site. The protesters announced their arrest from the stage itself, and also said that any lewd comments against women made by the protesters will not be tolerated.

The protesters announced from the stage that their was rampant sale of intoxicating substances near the protest site, and also said that any farmer from Punjab or Haryana found intoxicated will be reported to the police.

The protesters were also irritated by the union government's recent announcement to provide free rations to the poor till Diwali under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana. They called it a scheme to lure the poor away from the farmer protests.

Punjab farmer leader Ruldu Singh Mansa said that this was a time for unity between the poor and the farmer as the government was only working for the big corporate houses. He said that the party in power had tried to pitch the farmers from Punjab and Haryana against each other but they stood united against the government.