Woman on way back from farmers’ protest allegedly dies of cold

A 56-year-old protestor who had joined the agitation against the 3 farm bills at the Haryana-Rajasthan border 10 days ago, allegedly died “due to the cold”, according to members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.

According to Sanjay Madhav of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, Sitabai Tadvi arrived at the protest site from Nandurbar district in Maharashtra. She had even participated in the tractor parade on January 26. She had been associated with the Lok Sangharsh Morcha of Maharashtra for the last 25 years and had participated in various agitations over the years.

“She had been protesting with us at the border since December 16 and had left for Maharashtra yesterday after she caught a chill. However, her condition deteriorated on the way and she passed away in Jaipur. We have been told she died due to extreme cold,” said Madhav.

Members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha said Tadvi, also a farmer, had been fighting against the farm laws since June, and had been at the forefront of every agitation in the state, including the march against Reliance Industries in Mumbai on December 22.

“She was from the tribal community, and her whole family is involved in this agitation. Her contribution to the movement will always be remembered, we paid tribute to her at the protest site today by maintaining two minutes silence,” said Madhav.

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat also Tweeted about Tadvi’s death in Marathi, stating, “The news of the death of Sitabai Ramdas Tadvi, a woman farmer from Ambabari village in Nandurbar, a participant in the farmers’ movement in Delhi, is very painful. My heartfelt tribute to her. How many more farmers will the central government sacrifice for its ego?”