Image Courtesy:latestly.com
He is being hailed across the country as a braveheart hero who risked injury but turned off a high-pressure water cannon to save his fellow farmers, and their food and clothes, from getting soaked in the dead of winter. But, according to the Haryana Government, Navdeep Singh has made an attempt to murder, because a policeman got drenched when the nozzle turned in his direction. A few seconds before that happened, the water cannon was shooting high pressure jets at protesting farmers.
Navdeep Singh, son of a farmers’ body leader Jai Singh, has been charged with attempt to murder which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, along with other charges including rioting and violation of Covid-19 rules. The young man, however, has said he has done none of that, and was only attempting to save the farmers and their supplies from getting soaked. No one was reported injured in the incident, videos of which went viral on social media soon after.
“I have no regrets,” says Navdeep Singh speaking to a local news channel, “We did not think of what could happen, we left home thinking even if we get shot in the chest we will fight for our rights.” From the video it appears that Navdeep Singh had in fact risked his own life and limb, when he leapt from the water cannon vehicle after turning it off, onto another vehicle to avoid a beating from the policeman who had also climbed atop the tanker to nab him.
The young farmer has not become the centrepoint of the most iconic moment of the protest yet. The 26-year-old Navdeep Singh has been accused, for the second time this year by the Haryana Government, of attempt to murder, for shutting off the tap of the water cannon that was firing jets of ice cold water upon the marching farmers, including senior citizens. He was also interviewed by local media outlets but one of the most telling one is by Rubika Liyaquat of ABP news, who tries her best to appear ‘objective’ while asking him leading questions, however Singh remained poised, calm and articulate and told her what transpired.
“We were walking towards Delhi from Ambala on November 25, the police had put up barricades and we requested them to allow us to pass. We told them we need to go towards Delhi and talk about our rights”. The police asked the group to wait for half an hour but they got more forces deployed. “We then moved ahead removing the barricading and they launched the water cannons on us, it was very high pressure. Navdeep then recalled how he then jumped from his trolley tractor onto the water cannon and turned the nozzle away, “But it completely turned to the other side, water drenched the policemen (on the road) who cleared the way, then police started hitting me with lathis from below. One climbed atop and tried to grab me, then I jumped onto a tractor trolly,” he recalled how he risked his life to avoid being possibly hit by the police.
Anchor Liyaquat continued to ask him “why was he the only one who climbed atop the water cannon when all other farmers were protesting on the ground?” She asked him why he “claimed the tap drenching cops” was an ‘accident’? Navdeep calmly replied that they were carrying supplies (food and clothes) in their trolleys in preparation for a long wait in Delhi, and he wanted to save them from getting drenched. She then asks him why he jumped from the water cannon. He did it to keep the march going.
According to Navdeep, the farmers’ purpose was to reach Delhi, he said it is not just IPC 307 that he has been accused under, “but no one was hurt, we did not injure anyone. They have accused me of 307 earlier, in September when they accused me under section 307 on September 10 at a rally (at Pipli near Kurukshetra) when we were lathi charged at a protest rally.” Even then no one was hurt, but the police charged Navdeep under section 307 in two different police stations.
Anchor Liyaquat asked him if he “did not feel it was wrong to ‘target’ the policemen doing their duty?”
“We have not targeted them, we have not fired at them,” he replied calmly, the anchor then had no choice but to ask him basic questions like which aspect of the law was most objectionable and if he was affiliated to any unions. He said he was affiliated with Bharatiya Kisan Union after the farming laws were passed in Parliament. While all those with vested agendas are trying to now find reasons to add political motive to the actions of a young farmer, Navdeep Singh continues to be hailed as a hero.
“For the BJP, anyone who protects our Annadatas is a criminal. For the rest of India, he is a true hero!
Navdeep Singh, a young man whose only ‘crime’ was turning off a water cannon which the BJP govt was using on farmers, has been charged with Attempt To Murder. For the BJP, anyone who protects our Annadatas is a criminal. For the rest of India, he is a true hero!#FarmerProtest
— Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) November 28, 2020
#Navdeepsingh pic.twitter.com/8rfbxe9OUn
— Sajjad Ambedkar (@sajmad) November 28, 2020
“Who exactly gets murdered as a weapon is turned off is beyond me. All my respect to Navdeep Singh”
Stopping a weapon of assault, a water cannon, is apparently an attempt to murder. Who exactly gets murdered as a weapon is turned off is beyond me. All my respect to #Navdeepsingh https://t.co/r2Q9FLxLrD
— Rishika Malik (@rishikamlk) November 28, 2020
सूखी रोटी मुँह में ठूँसी पेट पे मुक्का मार दिए
हमरा बटुआ हमसे चोरी उल्टा हमें उधार दिएसर पे पत्थर बाँध के औंधे मुंह फेंके पानी में
हमरे ही किरदार को छीने हमरी ही कहानी मेंकाहे का गुणगान तुम्हारी ऐसी तैसी
गरियाएँगे सीना तान तुम्हारी ऐसी तैसीबहुत हुआ सम्मान तुम्हारी ऐसी तैसी pic.twitter.com/Z35YE5V5P5
— Hussain Haidry (@hussainhaidry) November 28, 2020
Related:
Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan: Punjab farmer’s soldier son martyred
Agri Minister should meet farmers ASAP: Why wait till December 3?
Nirankari ground, a moral victory for India’s protesting farmers
Top 10 Moments of November 27, 2020
Second peasant strike in two months garners even bigger support!
LIVE Updates on All India General Strike and Peasants’ Protest 2020