Bharat Bandh: Womanpower to fore at dharna sites across Punjab

Ruchika M. Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

Woman power came to the fore in full force on Friday during the Bharat Bandh call given by farmers to protest the three central farm laws.

Across all dharna sites in Punjab, including the ones on railway tracks, women came out in massive numbers to give a fillip to the protests. Even as the normal life in the state came to a grinding halt, the women were seen leading the protests at many places, especially in the Malwa region. In Jagraon near Ludhiana, a number of women lay siege to the highway.

The reason for the good turnout of women was that most of the male members of the family had already left for the main protest sites at Delhi borders on March 23. Most of them are still camping and protesting at Singhu and Tikri borders, leaving the women and elderly here to join the protest.

Another reason is that many male members of farmer households are busy making arrangements for the wheat harvest. Thus, the female members are coming out to fight against the farm laws.