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what's going on in India right now: a summarised thread
(please retweet)
(please retweet)
I'm sure you've seen this tweet from Rihanna (and perhaps similar ones from other celebrities)– which is now trending in India. the farmers' protest here is the largest strike in human history. https://twitter.com/rihanna/status/1356625889602199552?s=19
the farmers are protesting the 2020 Indian Agricultural Acts, the 3 laws which the government claims wikl uplift poorer farmers. however, the Acts will give power to private corporations, who will then dictate the market to exploit the farmers for profit and leave them worse off.
the 3 laws also deregulate the sale of crops, and farmers fear that the laws will also ultimately dismantle the minimum support price, or MSP system– which assure a minimum price to farmers for their crops in order to provide them financial support from the government.
the farmers have been protesting for months, but protests turned violent a few days ago, when police and aggressors pretending to be local residents attacked the protesting farmers in their tents. the farmers defended themselves, only to face terrible police brutality.
this is Ranjeet Singh, whose images went viral earlier this week. he defended himself with a sword when attacked by police in his tent, and is now in police custody recovering from his injuries. 43 others were arrested along with him at the Singhu border, one of the protest sites
the Indian police has been arming themselves with sword-like batons, putting nails on the streets and using heavy barricading, fencing and even fortification with a concrete wall, on top of their already brutal violence towards the farmers.
tw // gore
Navneet Singh, a 24 year old farmer, died in the protests this week. The police claimed it was an accident. However, eyewitnesses insist that he was shot and his injuries (see video) are said to be consistent with bullet wounds:
Navneet Singh, a 24 year old farmer, died in the protests this week. The police claimed it was an accident. However, eyewitnesses insist that he was shot and his injuries (see video) are said to be consistent with bullet wounds:
The Central Government had also asked Twitter to block 250-300 accounts on grounds of them being "provocative." The government (Union Home Ministry) has also suspended internet services at protest sites and some places around New Delhi.
Indian news channels and the BJP IT Cell (government organization that tries to influence social media with bot accounts, tweets, etc) have been manipulating the situation, trying to add a religious angle to the protests, claiming that Sikh farmers are anti-India (continue below)
this narrative, which you can spot with the word "Khalistan," is false, baseless and illogical. it's using a tiny handful of cases to create a communal hatred & violence towards the Sikh farmers, who are a religious minority in India.
I will be adding more information, news article links and so on in a while. please retweet and share this thread. this issue needs to be publicized, and in the correct way– without communal hatred, violence or calls for genocide.
article on this : https://indianexpress.com/article/india/metal-spikes-on-road-barricades-hit-farmers-access-to-water-toilets-7172177/ https://twitter.com/lostinbetter/status/1356890611488415745?s=19
I'm so sorry, I have made a typo here. The deceased farmer's name is Navreet Singh, not Navneet Singh.
Navreet Singh *
https://twitter.com/ComradeNav4K/status/1356715139869806592?s=19
Navreet Singh *
https://twitter.com/ComradeNav4K/status/1356715139869806592?s=19
State governments attempting to stifle dissent https://twitter.com/Dipankar_cpiml/status/1356899757889892354?s=19
Article on the failed liberalisation of Bihar's agriculture in 2006, which had similar policies to these three laws: http://www.thelede.in/amp/story/governance/2020/09/26/the-bihar-model-of-agriculture-why-it-failed https://twitter.com/magnetskies/status/1357232137284448258?s=19
