India’s protesting farmers joined by their wives and mothers on International Women’s Day

At dawn on Friday, Baljeet Kaur, a farmer from Punjab, led a group of 200 women to the village of Shambhu in the state with one mission in mind: to join the ongoing farmers’ protest in India on International Women’s Day.

At Shambhu, near the border with the state of Haryana, protesting farmers from the “Delhi Chalo” (Let’s Go to Delhi) movement were prevented by government forces from advancing towards the capital.

Thousands of women farmers from various parts of Punjab and Haryana converged at the protest site on Friday, protesting against what they see as the government’s inflexible response to the demands of the farmers.

The protesters want the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to fulfil promises made in 2021 on minimum support prices (MSP) for crops and a waiver on farmers’ debts before they call off their protest, which began on February 13.

All three main entry points to Delhi have been blocked by the Indian government.

On February 21, the protesters’ attempt to breach the barricades triggered a strong response from the police, including the use of tear gas, pellets and drones to disperse them. The clash resulted in the death of 21-year-old farmer Shubhkaran Singh near the town of Khanauri in Punjab, while two other protesters were blinded.

Despite three rounds of talks between farmer leaders and Delhi officials, no agreement has been reached on the government’s proposed offers.

During the most recent round of negotiations on February 18, a government panel suggested the purchase of five crops – moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize and cotton – at MSP over five years through central agencies. The farmers rejected the proposal and resumed their protest.

“We wanted to convey to the world and Prime Minister