Makeshift beds, bitter cold, lack of amenities: 200 farmers spent night under open sky at Chilla border

Noida: Forty nine-year-old Ratan Nagpal is no stranger to sleeping under the open sky. A farmer from Kasganj, Nagpal used his tractor trolley for sleeping on Tuesday

Noida: Forty nine-year-old Ratan Nagpal is no stranger to sleeping under the open sky. A farmer from Kasganj, Nagpal used his tractor trolley for sleeping on Tuesday night while being camped at the Chilla border with Delhi.

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Over 200 farmers from western Uttar Pradesh were stopped at the Delhi border on Tuesday while they were on their way to Burari in Delhi to join those from Punjab and Haryana protesting against the Centre’s farm laws.

“If they won’t let us go to Delhi, we will stay here only for as long as it is needed to let our brothers know that they aren’t alone in their struggles. I am used to sleeping in the open in our fields. The only difference here is that there are no stars visible,” said Nagpal.

The Noida side of the border is lined with tractors and carts which are acting as makeshift beds for these farmers. Some of them have piled mattresses on roadside while others are using blankets, quilts and shawls as temporary bedding.

“When we came here, we didn’t know that we would not be allowed to go. We had brought some provisions (ration and water) with us. But we had thought that once we reached Delhi, we would be able to procure more. But now we are sharing utensils and food, and taking help from local contacts,” said Mahendra Singh, a farmer from Mainpuri.

The farmers are camped at the border with no idea of when they would be able to move ahead. They believe that going back is not an option.

“The government policies are not in our favour. If we don’t speak up now, we will never be able to express our plight in which we are. Some of us are barely keeping their families fed. We will not move from here unless some changes are made,” said Singh.

With no facilities being provided to them, the farmers are braving the cold weather conditions to spend another night near the Chilla border.

Small groups could be seen throughout the day sitting, talking, cooking and trying to pass their time in hopes that the border will open and they will be allowed to go.

While some of them want to join others at Burari, others feel that they would be better off highlighting their concerns at Jantar Mantar.

“They (police personnel) want us to camp out elsewhere to free up the road. Our intent is not to inconvenience people, but if we move now, we will simply be dispersed and no one will listen to us,” said Satveer Bhanu, another farmer from Kasganj.

A senior Noida police official said that if the farmers had only gone to Burari, they would have been let go. But just before the border it was found that they were going to Jantar Mantar and that is why they were stopped by the Delhi police.

“We even offered to provide them with portable washrooms and drinking water facilities if they move to a designated area near Pari Chowk. But they refused to negotiate,” said the official.