On January 12, police officials arrested a Dalit labour rights activist, Nodeep Kaur, from Delhi's Singhu Border. She was arrested on a series of charges – attempt to murder, extortion, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly, rioting with deadly weapons and trespassing.

The police say they were responding to a complaint of illegal extortion from factory owners by activists, under the garb of workers unpaid salaries. According to them, Nodeep and her “associates” who were present at the site, had become violent and started beating police officials with huge sticks and lathis.

However, Rajveer Kaur, the sister of Nodeep, has denied the police’s charge. She has also alleged that her sister, Nodeep, had been assaulted in police custody.

According to Nodeep’s lawyer, Jitendar Kumar, a medical examination of Nodeep was sought after she was arrested by the Haryana police. The lawyer and the family both claim that Kaur’s medical examination was done on January 25 but the report has not been received by either party yet.

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