‘My honour…won’t step back’: 78-yr-old farmer who took on Kangana

But her home is modest and old-fashioned, wooden logs reinforce the roofs, and she still lights the chulha each morning to cook for her ailing husband Labh Singh (80) and bedridden son Gurdas, before beginning her daily chores and legal struggle.

“Owning 13 acres is hardly what people think it is. It’s not even equal to what a peon earns in a year. There are so many misconceptions about farmers’ incomes,” she says. “We grew cotton until the crop failed across Punjab, and now we grow paddy. I married off four children, three daughters and a son, and worked hard all my life. We will fight to maintain this honour,” says Kaur.

Her daughter-in-law died of an infection about 18 months ago. Her son has been bedridden for the last three months due to a severe leg infection and returned home from hospital just a week ago. Unable to attend court herself, it was her asthmatic husband who appeared on her behalf.

“A farmer’s life is never easy. My son, the youngest, is unwell, my daughter-in-law has gone, leaving behind no child. The house runs on my shoulders now. But I will not step back from this fight,” she says, her voice filled with quiet resolve.

The family now rents out most of the land, cultivating only a small patch to grow food for household use.

The case dates back to the 2020-21 farmers’ protest, when Ranaut shared a social media post which purportedly featured a photograph of Kaur. Commenting on the post, Ranaut claimed that some participants were being paid to attend the protest. She also referred to the woman as “the same dadi featured in Time magazine among India’s powerful women” (Shaheen Bagh protester Bilkis) adding that “she is available for Rs 100.”

The remark, amplified across social media, hurt Kaur, who decided to seek justice through the court.

Her lawyer, advocate Raghubir Singh Behniwal, who has been associated with the BJP for years, has stood firmly beside her. “I have been with the BJP since long before Kangana entered politics. Some questioned whether I would represent Mohinder Kaur properly, but she trusted me. I was equally pained by Kangana’s words against the mothers of Punjab,” says Behniwal.

“Whatever the pressures, the family has always been active in pursuing the case. It is never easy for farmers dependent on daily work to spare time for court hearings. But they come every time I call them. We will not accept any apology. The case will be contested,” he adds.

On Monday, Ranaut was granted bail by the court in Bathinda. The next hearing is on November 24.