Navdeep Singh a ‘hero’ during Punjab Farmers Protest

Twenty-six-year-old farmer Navdeep Singh is being hailed as a ‘hero’ of the Indian farmers’ protest who are primarily from Punjab and Haryana.

Navdeep Singh managed to climb on a police cannon and turned off the high-velocity water stream directed towards protesting farmers.

He has been charged with an attempt to murder by Haryana Police.

Navdeep Singh has been booked for an attempt to murder along with Bharatiya Kisan Union state President Gurnam Singh Chaduni.

The police have charged them of breaking police barricade and attempting to run over policemen with a tractor-trailer.

A video of the daring act has gone viral on social media.

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In the video, Navdeep Singh can be seen jumping of this truck to a police vehicle and turning the tap of a water canon off, to protesters cheers.

The incident took place on November 25 amongst hundreds of thousands of farmers braving tear gas and water cannons.

Indian farmers breached massive blockades comprising huge boulders, barbed fence and mounds, to march onwards to Delhi from Punjab.

The protests are being held against new farm laws.

So far the mostly peaceful protests have been going on for over 2 months, having taken the lives of 13 farmers till date.

The treatment meted out to the farmers on their way to Delhi drew severe criticism on social media, including from politicians.

The acts of the young farmer of jumping from his tractor to the police vehicle with water cannon has won hearts.

What are the demands of Indian farmers?

Indian farmers are vehemently protesting the three agriculture reform laws passed by the Indian Parliament in September 2020.

The farmer unions say these rules are not in their favour and will promote privatisation of the agricultural sector.

And in turn benefit hoarders and big corporate houses.

They say these laws weaken future prospects of the industry that employs 58% of the country’s population.

The agriculture bills collectively seek to provide farmers with multiple marketing channels, break several monopolies.

Including that of government-regulated mandis (market yards), and provide a legal framework for farmers to enter into pre-arranged contracts.

For the last few days, thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have been marching towards Delhi.

The farmers, through the Dilli Chalo march, have decided to mount pressure on the government to rollback the recently-passed farm laws.

The farmers are demanding the Centre to either withdraw the three legislations or guarantee them on Minimum Support Prices (MSP).

MSP is a ‘minimum price’ for any crop that the Indian government considers as remunerative for farmers and hence deserving of ‘support’.

The farmers are protesting so that the government passes a new law framed after wider consultation with the stakeholders.