Chronicling farmer deaths, Anuroop Kaur shares stories of Singhu ‘martyrs’

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 12

Documenting farmer deaths at the Singhu border and the impact they have had over the course of the farm agitation, Anuroop Kaur, a tutor from Delhi University, has taken it upon herself to not just chronicle the martyrs of farmers’ movement, but also the reasons behind those deaths.

Talking to writer Amandeep Sandhu during an online session with Majha House, Anuroop said her blogs were not just about numbers or body counts, but a glimpse into the psychological toll the entire movement is taking on those sitting at the Delhi borders.

“As a supporter of farmers’ movement, I used to frequently visit Singhu border. When the deaths occurred, it felt important to me to document these, or else these sacrifices would go in vain,” she shared. That’s when she started giving an account of farmer deaths through her blogs.

As a supporter of farmers’ movement, I used to frequently visit Singhu border. When the deaths occurred, it felt important to me to document these, or else these sacrifices would go in vain. Those deaths were sad, more so because they were being ignored by the government and not being acknowledged. That's when the sadness turned into anger. As a result, I have documented 363 people's deaths on the border so far. —Anuroop Kaur, documenting farmers’ death at singhu

“Those deaths were sad, more so because they were being ignored by the government and not being acknowledged. That’s when the sadness turned into anger. As a result, I have documented 363 people’s deaths on the border so far,” Anuroop said, adding that the toll could be higher as she started documenting these from November onwards.

While referring to Mukesh, a teacher at a school in Rohtak who committed suicide on April 6, 2021, after accusing the government of anti-people policies, Anuroop said: “I tried finding out why people were so furious. When we visited the border and met farmers, we realised that many of them were suffering from depression. They tell about physical discomfort, but they don’t realise that they are suffering from depression and other mental disorders as well due to such a long sit-in. There are other reasons besides depression such as heart attacks, etc. The important thing is to understand that a death is not just a statistic but a trauma the person’s family face. They also have to face financial difficulties which we cannot understand,” Anuroop explained.

Dr Simmi Waraich, a psychologist, who was also one of the speakers, said most people live under a misconception that there are only farmers on the border. “Those sitting at the borders have braved so much that it impacts their mental health. Hence, there are so many reasons behind these deaths.”

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