Victory only when oppressive labour laws are withdrawn: Nodeep Kaur

“I wanted to enroll for graduation, but now I have seen that even those who have completed their post-graduation and Ph.Ds are unemployed. Then what hope is there for someone like me who has dropped out of school? It will be another long struggle. I will continue to fight for the rights of the workers,” 23-year-old Dalit labour rights activist Nodeep Kaur, who got bail on February 12, said at a press conference held in Delhi on Monday.

On January 12, the Haryana Police had arrested Nodeep under charges including murder and extortion for protesting against the non-payment of wages at the factory she was working at in Kundli, which is close to Singhu border. Male police personnel had dragged her into a police van and she was allegedly beaten up with sticks and shoes.

A member of the Majdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Nodeep was first taken to Kundli police station where she was allegedly tortured and then taken to Sonipat.

“There was no female police constable around at both the police stations. I couldn’t walk for days. They continued to abuse me saying that I should behave like a Dalit. They used abuses such as ‘chamar’ and reiterated that my job was to clean gutters. The police asked who gave us rights to protest against company owners. We were arrested because we spoke up,” said Nodeep.

Her arrest had captured international attention with Meena Harris, the niece of US Vice President Kamal Harris, tweeting about her. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee fought her case and helped get her bail.

The Haryana Police accused Nodeep in three separate cases. She was charged with attempt to murder, extortion, rioting, and criminal intimidation. The Sonipat police had earlier accused Nodeep of attacking the police. She had been granted bail in all the three cases after 45 days of confinement. “The police are a tool of the government to be used against the people,” asserted Nodeep.

The police have denied allegations of custodial torture. However, medical examination conducted by the Sonipat Civil Hospital on January 25 states that Nodeep had “purplish bruises of around 10×7 cm, present over left thigh, and bruises of around 5×6 cm over right buttock”.

“We were protesting in front of the factory for 30 minutes when the police arrived. They beat me and other women up. Workers also hit them so that I would not be dragged away. The police alleged that I tried to snatch a lathi from the police. Ask yourselves if that is even possible? If we had to fight the police, why would we be protesting in front of the factory? When we demand our rights, our salaries, they call it extortion. Can we really extort money from the factory owners?” said Nodeep.

Her older sister Rajveer Kaur, who is a doctoral candidate at Delhi University, said Nodeep was able to get a medical examination only two weeks after her arrest by when her injuries had almost healed.

“Nodeep was beaten by police in the van and at the station. She had bruises in her private parts. After I visited her, she revealed that she had not been taken to a doctor even though the court had ordered medical examination on January 18. We had to protest to get it done. Fake cases have been slapped on my sister,” added Rajveer.

Nodeep, who had been staying at Singhu border ever since her release, said she would go back to Kundli soon. “The government arrested me because we workers also supported the farmers protest. They do not want all of us to join hands. They want to break us with religion and caste. Another protestor Shiv Kumar whose arm has been broken is still in prison. He hasn’t gotten bail. We have to fight for him too,” stressed Nodeep in an interaction with National Herald after the press conference.

Shiv Kumar’s medical report has listed fractures and broken toenails.

Nodeep had come to Delhi in search of work as during the lockdown they had faced severe hardships. Her father works as a mechanic in Telangana and barely found work during the Covid-19 triggered lockdown.

Coming from a family of Dalit labourers, Nodeep had to forgo her studies after Class X due to trouble in their village. She then completed Class XII through Open School only recently. She has been working in between to support her family and two sisters who have continued to study. One of her sisters is studying to become a doctor in a medical college in Punjab.

Both Rajveer and Nodeep stress that they have got their fighting spirit from their parents. Her father has gone back to Telangana for work, but her mother Simarjeet Kaur has been at Singhu border ever since Nodeep was arrested. Her mother used to participate in protests in their village in Gandhar in Punjab’s Muktsar district.

“We have been supporting the farmers protest since the beginning. Nodeep’s father and my 19-year-old son were at Singhu border till last week,” said Simarjeet.

Her mother wanted Nodeep to complete her studies, but she had to join a factory so that we would not starve. “Farm labourers like us have many dreams, but all those dreams are quashed at birth itself. When children are young, there is the problem of starvation; as they grow older, they hardly get admission into schools and very few into colleges. It is tougher for daughters to even step out of their homes. Nodeep’s dream was to study, but that has now been stalled,” highlighted Simarjeet, who is waiting to take her daughter back to her village where people are waiting to give her a rousing welcome.

Nodeep winds up stating that their victory will only be when the oppressive labour laws are withdrawn.