Evading Restrictions, Gujarat Farmers Leave in Disguise to Join Protest at Delhi-Jaipur Highway

As farmers agitate nationwide, especially at Delhi borders, against the Centre’s farm laws, Gujarat government has implemented Section 144 across the state and barred any kind of protest. Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) Ashish Bhatia held a press conference to announce that any social media post about any turmoil or protest will lead to arrest.

A man from Vadodara, Sailesh Parmar, was arrested following the announcement by the state government for writing a post on Facebook in support of the ongoing farmers’ protest. He was booked under Section 153B of the Indian Penal Code among other sections for “incendiary posts”.

Subsequently, several farmers and farmer leaders across Gujarat, who had extended support to the ongoing protest in North India, were put under house arrest. Days later, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Kutch on Tuesday to speak to farmers, a group of about 150 farmers managed to evade the police after disguising themselves to join an ongoing protest at the Delhi-Jaipur highway.

Disguising to Protest

Palbhai Ambaliya, Jayesh Patel and Yakub Guraji, along with other farmers rights activists, had formed an organisation named Gujarat Kisan Sangharsh Samiti that called upon farmers on December 6 this year to mobilise and extend support to the Bharat Bandh called by protesting farmers in North India.

Members of Gujarat Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, the umbrella body of 23 farmers rights organisation, were supposed to meet in Gandhinagar to hold a ‘khedut sansad’ on December 11 that was reportedly expecting participation of about two thousand farmers from across the state. But they did not get permission for it.

“The state government denied us permission for the khedut sansad at Gandhinagar that, we had expected, would mobilise at least two thousand farmers and agrarian workers. Instead, the government began to detain farmer leaders and activists from across the state from December 10. Thereafter we decided to leave the state individually and reach the protest site,” said Palbhai Ambaliya, Chairman of Gujarat Kisan Congress, a farmers body.

“All my life I have worn traditional Gujarati attire but I had to disguise to avoid arrest and leave state. I shaved my head, wore jeans and shirt and crossed Gujarat border to reach Udaipur in Rajasthan, from where we eventually reached Jaipur Delhi highway,” added Ambaliya.

Jayesh Patel, President of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, another farmer organisation, said the Gujarat farmers bodies had decided to support the protest on December 1. “Gujarat Khedut Samaj representative in districts submitted a memorandum to respective district collectors demanding withdrawal of the three central farm laws and sought an end to using methods like water cannon and teargas on protesting farmers,” he said.

“If no decision was taken till December 3 (regarding the memorandums), we had decided we would march and join the protesting farmers in North India,” added Patel.

Reportedly, a group of about 500 farmers are gearing up to leave the state and reach the protest site near Delhi.

“More than 16 farmers rights activists and leaders are under house arrest in Gujarat. Most of them could not evade the police and cross the state borders. Despite this, about 150 of us have reached the protest site. Many are planning to reach in coming days,” said a Gujarat-based farmers rights activist.