On October 26, 2004, brutal lathicharge by Rajasthan police on agitating peasantry in Sriganganagar District of Rajasthan, made headlines throughout the country. The lathicharge only served to intensify the agitation that was publicized as directed against the Rajasthan Government’s move to decrease water supply for farming in the region. The Rajasthan Government responded with further and more outrageous repression, while the Chief Minister refused to heed the validity of the peasants’ demand. Police firing killed five people and people in turn further intensified the agitation.

Background of this Struggle

The struggle was located in four tehsils of Sriganganagar District of Rajasthan, namely Ghadsana, Rawla, Anupgarh and Vijanagar. The people of these tehsils had become fed up with the perennial misery and ruin they had to face as a result of the parochial, selfish, discriminatory and unwise policies of ruling class parties – Congress and BJP (who have formed governments in Rajasthan), particularly of the BJP which is currently in power in the state.

These four tehsils get water for irrigation and drinking purposes from the Indira Gandhi Canal since 1970. This canal originates at Harike in Punjab. It was this water that allowed prosperity in this area. Rawla and Ghadsana mandis became big cotton centres in North India. Ghadsana, in fact, became the largest cotton centre not only in India but probably even in Asia. Commercial crops, cotton and mustard became the two main crops of the area. Many agro-industries were opened. New constructions, both of private houses and of schools and markets, were widely undertaken. Trade began to flourish. These border areas were rejuvenated due to the water that allowed the peasantry to flourish.

Since 1997, due to pressure of influential sections of Bikaner and Jaisalmer Districts, some part of the water meant for these tehsils started being diverted. The people raised this issue with the concerned authorities but to no avail. As a result of water shortage, misery and ruin began creeping back into the area. As production fell, incomes were reduced. The state has been in the grip of famine for past four years. In these tehsils barren areas extended, famine-like situation prevailed in some parts, industries were totally or partially closed. As financial constraints began asserting themselves, land prices crashed from Rs. 3 lakh per acre to Rs. 30 thousand an acre. Peasants’ families were forced to work as wage labourers and many families migrated to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in search of work. The old miserable times were slowly re-emerging; insecurity is haunting the local people and their future appears bleak.

The ruin of the local economy is essentially due to the ruin of agricultural production due to lack of water, but the restlessness, insecurity, anger and protest has not remained confined to the peasantry. It has affected traders, small and medium factory owners and businessmen. The peasants’ struggle has become a people’s struggle. That is why the current protests and the outpouring of people’s anger attained such unprecedented proportions.

Current Agitation

Now the Government of Rajasthan announced a further cut in the amount of water being supplied to these tehsils. The reason is obvious – that the water saved from here is going to be redirected to other areas. Since early October 2004 or so, the people of the tehsil, mainly the peasantry, started a dharna at the tehsil headquarters at Ghadsana Mandi. A hunger strike was also organized. The dharna entered the 28th day on 26th October 2004. During this long period, the state government remained deaf, dumb and apparently blind also. No government emissary contacted the agitated, protesting people and no attempts were made to address their problem. Rather insult was added to the injury.

26th October 2004

On 26th October, the protestors gheroed the SDM office at Ghadsana where the SDM, DSP, Tehsildar and Officer in charge of seven police stations were present. They had announced a ‘maha padaav’ (mega gathering) from 25th there. When talks with higher authorities failed, they intensified the gherao. The Rajasthan armed constabulary was sent to Ghadsana Mandi as a crackdown on the agitation began. They descended like an alien occupying force, and unleashed unprovoked and brutal lathi-charge on the people sitting on dharna at the gate of the tehsil headquarters’ compound. The authorities cunningly chose the afternoon time to launch this attack, because, daily a section of people used to return to their respective villages in the afternoon and rejoin the dharna the next morning, while another section continued to sit till the next morning. The police mercilessly thrashed the people sitting on dharna and did not even spare passers-by. They also entered surrounding shops, even by breaking their shutters, and damaged the material there. A PCO was broken and all equipments there were forcibly carried away or broken down deliberately. The police also, entering houses, insulted women and children and threatened them. Students and other passengers were dragged out of buses and beaten.

Police Firing

This incident added fuel to the fire. The word spread like fire through the area and the people started gathering at Rawla and Ghadsana on the morning of 27th October 2004. There they began an unprecedented demonstration and march against police repression. They marched like a hurricane, sweeping along everything that came in their way. Establishment notice boards were swept away and ultimately police was confronted. To prevent the march, police resorted to uncalled for violence and then resorted to firing. Four people were killed and several injured. One of the injured later succumbed, taking the toll to five. Seeing the people’s anger and in order to crush their protest rather than address their issues, the entire area was put under curfew and handed over to the Army! All for demanding that the water quota of the area should not be arbitrarily cut down. Subsequently, every town which announced public gatherings for protests was put under curfew. Families of those killed in firing did not cremate the bodies till 29th October. Bandhs were held on 29th in towns of Sriganganagar and Bikaner.

AIKMS Initiative

While the people continued the struggle despite the firing, resorting to massive dharnas and sit-ins, AIKMS also organized support for the struggle. An investigating and support team was sent to the area, to find out the entire facts for informing other areas and also to extend support. The team consisted of Shri Raja Ram (President, Rashtriya Kisan Morcha, Sriganganagar District), Shri Jagir Singh (Vice-President of the same), Shri Prabhudayal (Gen. Sec. of the same), Hardev Singh Sandhu (Vice-president of AIKMS), Shri Nirbhay Singh Dhudike (AIKMS, Punjab) and Shri Satbir Singh (AIKMS, Punjab). The team met the families of those killed in police firing, many shopkeepers, traders, employees and farmers of the area.

The team found that of the five victims of police firing, Mr. Jain Ram was a 55-year old Ghadsana resident. He was a landless peasant, and used to go to the mandi daily to feed the cows. He also did the same on 27th October, and was killed in the firing at the mandi. Another victim, 25-year old Tirath Ram was a student (double MA and about to appear for the IAS). He was handicapped, and on hearing the slogans came out of his father’s shop. Here a police bullet felled him. 25-year old Mangi Ram was making purchases in a shop when he was killed. 20-year old Kalu Singh was part of the protestors.

The BJP Government had declared a pittance as compensation for those killed by police firing. The team, in its report, demanded that Rs. 10 lakh per victim be paid and 25 acres of land be given to those of the families who are landless.

AIKMS also mobilized peasants from Punjab, particularly Ludhiana, Sangrur and Moga Districts, to support the struggle by staging a dharna and demonstration outside the Collector’s Office at Sriganganagar on 9th November 2004.

The government, even then, did not begin negotiations with the farmers, despite the scale of the agitation. The Kisan–Viapari–Mazdoor–Students Samiti staged gheraos at Suratnagar, Ganganagar and Anupgarh. The response was prohibitory orders under Sec. 144. Curfew remained in place. The anti-farmer government also stage managed counter-agitations at Bikaner and Jaisalmer, which were to be the beneficiaries of the diverted water. Despite this the struggle continues.

[The agitation has since been withdrawn following a settlement with the government on release of arrested persons and no change in status quo regarding water supply to the area. – Editor]