Journalism of Courage
On the eve of Tuesday, close to 30,000 farmers started a massive march towards Mumbai from the CBS Chowk in Nashik. Covering 35 kilometeres daily, the farmers continued to protest for their rights for four days. Not only middle- aged farmers and youngsters but a large number of women and senior citizens strethened the protest. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar
The " long march" which was called by Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha(ABKS) affiliated to the CPI(M)demanded a complete farm loan waiver, transfer of forest land to tillers, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre to farmers hit by hailstorm and pink bollworm, and putting a stop to sharing the state’s water with Gujarat. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar
Along with the farmers, women and senior citizens were seen joining the protest from different places. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar
Farmers in long march stopped near the Valdevi River in Nashik on Tuesday night. Thousands of farmers were seen camping near the river. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar
A sea of farmers and tribals slept on the open uneven land with no proper arrangement. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar
The next day, the farmers washed their faces and started the long march towards Mumbai. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
A senior citizen, Heerabai Bagul, said, “We will fight till the last drop of our blood. If the government fails to agree to our demands, will take this march to the logical end.” “We just grow vegetables. We don’t want farm loan waivers. Just a small portion of land is enough for us.” Express photo by Deepak Joshi
The women participated in large numbers. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
More than half of those gathered armed with a list of demands. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar
Farmers long march was seen moving from Mulund towards Mumbai. Express photo by Prashant Nadkar
The 30,000 sunburnt and dusty men and women waiting patiently in an open ground in Mumbai on Sunday night continued telling stories of the gloom in Maharashtra's farmlands. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
DA ally Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) of Raj Thackeray and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)also considered the weight behind the march. On Friday night, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, a senior minister in the Fadnavis government, had met leaders of the agitation with party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s message of support. Aditya Thackeray joined the protest along with farmers at Mulund. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
“A delegation of farmers (above) would be permitted to meet the Chief Minister, but we cannot allow them to march till Vidhan Bhavan. We believe the number of protesters would swell on Monday,” an IPS officer had said. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
The farmers, who set out on their march six days back, were given food, drink, medical care and even footwear for their weary feet that had walked over 180 km from Nashik to Mumbai. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra S Shekhawat claimed that the farmers protest was "politically motivated". He said, "Some parties are trying to mislead the farmers." Express photo by Deepak Joshi
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not taking action against “corporates who are looting the country”. “We will continue our fight until we manage to stop farmers’ suicides. While the government is giving waiver to corporates, it is refusing the same to farmers,” Yechury had said. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
A large number of tribals participated in the rally seeking, not a loan waiver, but the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Their participation in the agitation in such large numbers suggests a new edge in the countryside’s despair — while successive drought years, inequitable water management and pricing policies have seen a slow impoverishment of the farmer community everywhere in Maharashtra, the circumstances for the landless are ever more exacting. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
The long and arduous walk did not deter the farmers, some of them with injured foot, from withdrawing the protests. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
After covering 180-kilometres — 35 km every day for six days — nearly 40,000 farmers carrying red flags converged in Mumbai around 5 am on Monday to press for their demands. The agitating farmers marched silently through the night in Mumbai to ensure their protest would not affect students taking final exams on Monday morning. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
Traffic restrictions were put in place between Sion and Mulund as the protesters marched towards Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha on Monday. To avoid traffic congestion, Mumbai Traffic Police, in their circular, advised residents to use LBS Road, Sion-Panvel Road, Thane-Belapur route, while entry for heavy vehicles will be restricted on the Eastern Express Highway. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
With a sea of agitating farmers swamping Mumbai and pressure mounting, the BJP-led Maharashtra government on Monday accepted almost all the demands of the farmers, including their right to till forest land and extension of farm loan waiver to those who had borrowed between 2001 and 2008. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
Among issues raised during the discussion on loan waiver was the condition that a loan in the name of the farmer’s wife was deemed ineligible for waiver even if the couple together had an outstanding loan less than the ceiling amount of Rs 150,000. To remove the anomaly, the government said the waiver would be for up to Rs 1.5 lakh for each family unit of husband and wife, irrespective of the land holding size. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
The protesting farmers decided to call off their stir on Monday after CM Fadnavis agreed to most of their demands. “We have had experiences with this government before and they were not good. We insisted on this and so the assurances were made to us in writing, under the signature of the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra,” Dr Ashok Dhawale, president of the AIKS, said. “A battle has been won, though the war will go on,” he added. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
Special train arrangements were made as the Central Railway decided to run two special trains from Mumbai’s CSMT to Bhusawal at 8.50 pm and 10.00 pm on Monday night to send the agitating farmers back. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
“A good decision has been taken on the forest land. What is more important is that the government has given the assurances in writing. I have taken part in several protests but this is the first time that we have got something on paper,” said Ramu Bhoye, a 40-year-old farmer from Hatti village in Surgana, Nashik district. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
The farmers’ leaders repeatedly emphasised that the state government had given all its assurances in writing, and also that the assurances would be tabled on the floor of the state legislature on Tuesday. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
Officials said an additional coach was also provided in the Panchvati Express, Howrah Mail and Dadar-Shirdi Express to facilitate their return from Mumbai. Express photo by Deepak Joshi
