New Delhi: Over 700 activists, academics, artists, advocates, writers, and dozens of people’s organisations from across India have written to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, expressing their outrage and deep dismay at the state government’s treatment of two women farmers’ leaders.

The letter signed by many prominent names including author Arundhati Roy, senior advocate Supreme Court of India Indira Jaising, lawyer and human rights and women’s rights activist Vrinda Grover, Kavita Srivastav, President of the PUCL, human rights and civil rights activists Teesta Setalvad and Harsh Mander, slams the Punjab government for allegedly beating and torturing the women farmers’ leaders.

“In particular, we are profoundly anguished and distressed at the brutal manner in which Harinder Bindu, the convenor of Mahila wing of farmer union BKU Ugrahan, and farmer leader, Paramjit Kaur Pithon, were targeted, beaten, and tortured, while peacefully gathering in support of the women teachers of Adarsh Senior Secondary School, Chouke (Bathinda District),” says the letter.

‘Police specifically targeted Harinder Bindu, a prominent women farmer leader’

It adds that teachers of the Adarsh Senior Secondary School have been sitting on dharna for more than two months, over unpaid salaries and illegal retrenchment of staff by the school management. The school, which operates under a public-private partnership, with 70% state government funding, has been in news for financial mismanagement, corruption and other malpractices, the letter says.

“A report of the three-member committee constituted by the deputy commissioner, Bhatinda, detailing school malpractices was submitted to the government but was neither made public nor acted upon,” says the letter.

The letter adds that on the early morning of April 5, as teachers protested at the school gate, the management called the police, who used force to disperse them. Thereafter, several teachers were arrested including a woman teacher with a 13-month-old baby.

The letter says that a few hours later, a delegation of Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) gathered near the local Gill Kalan Police Station in support of the teachers who were now sitting outside the police station demanding the release of their colleagues. Harinder Bindu and Paramjit Kaur Pithon were part of the delegation.

“As the dharna was broken, the police specifically targeted Harinder Bindu, a prominent women farmer leader whose struggles and contributions are well-known not just in Punjab, but across the country. According to the statements of Harinder and Paramjit Kaur, the DSP, the SHO and two women SIs, turned their ire on them. They thrashed them brutally and kept repeating that the ‘bones of these farm leaders should be broken so that they are never able to step up to the podium and make speeches’,” says the letter.

“Two police women held both her hands and the woman SI slapped her repeatedly with force, causing her eardrums to swell, resulting in a significant hearing loss. The male officers used their canes, fists, and boots to hit her with force, her hair was forcibly pulled and she was dragged by her hair.”

The letter written by the prominent individuals of the civil society says that the two women were then shoved into the police van and taken to another Police Station, Nandgarh.

‘Brutally beaten up with sticks by police, including male police personnel’

“They were not allowed to use the washroom on the way. On reaching Nandgarh police station, a distance they covered in almost 2 hours, Deputy Superintendent Pradeep Singh, SHO Joginder Singh, SI Harpreet Kaur and Sukhvir Kaur not only brutally beat them up again with sticks but also made other male police personnel present there do the same. Paramjit Kaur who informed them that she suffered from a spinal issue was particularly hit on her back and was told that, after this, she would be confined to bed for the rest of her life and not take to the podium again,” says the letter.

They two women were subsequently released on the late evening of April 10.

“We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the brutal incident of custodial torture of Harinder Bindu and Paramjit Kaur. We see the brutal custodial torture of Harinder Bindu and Paramjit as an attempt to humiliate, intimidate and silence brave and vocal women farmers union leaders. We see this case as a serious failure of the police department to uphold the dignity of women and protect them from violence and custodial torture,” says the letter.

The civil society members have put forward several demands including strict action against the police personnel, registration of FIRs and their suspension and that appropriate medical, pyscho-social, legal and financial assistance be provided by the state govt to the victims.