CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Sukhmeen Kaur is concerned about the impact India's farm reforms will have on its farmers, she said.
"It's harming people," she said. "Because of these laws, there's going to be no food on the table."
Kaur, who's originally from Punjab, India, was one of about 10 to 15 people demonstrating by the Charlottetown cenotaph on Nov. 30 - many of whom were members of P.E.I.'s Sikh community. They were raising awareness and showing their support for the Punjab and Haryana farmers protesting a series of laws imposed by India's government in September.
The farmers believe their livelihood will be affected by the reformed laws, and when about 300,000 attempted to march into the city of Delhi last week they were met with police barricades, tear gas, and water cannons, demonstrator Manpreet Singh said.
"They were stopped forcefully," he said. "They were beaten, they were harassed."
Singh, who's also from Punjab, said farming is a primary source of income for India. While the goal of the reforms was to give more control to farmers, the farmer's main concern with them is that a minimum price for what their crops can sell for is no longer guaranteed or regulated, potentially giving corporations more control and profit.
For example, one Indian farmer reported selling his wheat crop for seven rupees per kilogram, after which the buying corporation processed and sold it for 150 rupees per kilogram, Singh said.
"They're not treated like people. They're treated like animals," he said.
While rising tensions have resulted in a meeting to be called between some of the country's farm unions and the Indian government on Dec. 3, the Charlottetown demonstration was to oppose the police and government's violent response to the protests for showcasing a lack of democracy, Singh said.
"I have my right of speech in this country," he said. "But in my country right now, it is not trying to listen to the farmers."
Kaur added that accurate news coverage on the protests out of the country is difficult to find due to social media censorship, so the Charlottetown demonstration was to inform Islanders of what was going on.
"I am here, I should also know what's going on here," she said. "(And) they should know what's going on in India."
While only a maximum of 20 people was permitted to gather at the Nov. 30 demonstration due to COVID-19 protocol, Kaur noted a larger rally may be held in the near future pending the Chief Public Health Office's approval.
Daniel Brown is a local journalism initiative reporter, a position funded by the federal government.
