No school, minors mark attendance at protest sites

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, May 1

Schools are closed currently due to lockdown to prevent the further spread of Covid. However, the closure of schools has provided a "volunteer" force for the agitation against central farm laws has been going on at various places for the past several months.

There is a virtual brigade of minors, who are not only helping organisers and are familiar with all details of the latest farm laws, but are also a source of motivation for many to join the agitation.

“The latest laws will reduce our income. When our parents will not have the required income, our family will have to take more debt and ultimately it will multiply our financial woes,” said 13-year-old Gurveer Kaur at a protesting site in Barnala.

Navneet Kaur, 12, said since the beginning of the agitation, her family had been part of the protests in Barnala, New Delhi borders and other places. “We will compel the government to withdraw the black laws,” she said.

Narayan Dutt, a farmer, said the protest was like a school for minors, who come to protest sites in the morning and watch and learn something new every day. “They are the future activists as they are gaining practical experience,” Dutt said.

By coining new slogans, preparing new hoardings in Punjabi and writing new songs against the farm laws, these minors are making their presence felt across Sangrur and Barnala districts.

“There are many minors who have been regularly attending the protests near their villages. Now, they are an inspiration for others,” said Rajpal Singh, a BKU Ugrahan leader from Sangrur.