During a protest last month, Haryana police arrested the 24-year-old under charges including murder and extortion among others.
Dalit labour rights activist Nodeep Kaur
Mohsin Javed
Days after being granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court,
Dalit labour rights activist Nodeep Kaur spoke to Outlook about the
custodial torture and her resolve to fight for the rights of farmers and
workers. During a protest last month, Haryana police arrested the
24-year-old under charges including murder and extortion among others.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q) You alleged that you were sexually assaulted and tortured in police custody.
The police arrested me and took me to Kundli police station
on January 12. They pulled my hair and dragged me into the van and I was
beaten up inside the van also. They slapped and hit me with shoes and
sticks on my private parts. I was bleeding heavily after that.
No lady police officers were present at the station. Four
policemen sat on me and tortured me. I couldn’t walk for days because of
the assault. Later they took me to a police station at Sonipat at night
and confined me in quarantine for two days. The torture continued there
also. I suffered multiple injuries while in custody.
My condition was extremely bad. Even my medical report wasn’t made.
It was 14 days after my lawyer obtained permission from the court that a
medical examination was done.
Q) You also allege that the police used casteist abuses while in custody.
While torturing me, the police kept saying that I am a Dalit and I
should behave like one. “Your job is to clean the gutters. Who gave you
the right to organize protests against big people?” I was asked.
They used abusive language to intimidate me. The police were miffed
that I stood up to the rich and powerful. I believe I had to face the
harassment of being a Dalit woman and a trade union worker.
Is it a crime to organize and demand our rights? The police are hand in glove with factory owners.
Q) The police have denied charges of custodial torture.
It will be illusory to think that the police will admit it. Medical
reports don’t lie. I got bail on the basis of medical reports. The court
was convinced that I was falsely implicated. The police always dance to
the tune of the powerful. That is how the system works.
Q) Your colleague Shiv Kumar is yet to get bail. He has also been allegedly tortured in custody according to medical reports.
Shiv Kumar wasn’t present at Kundli on January 12. But the police
took him into custody only because he is the president of the Mazdoor
Adhikar Sangathan (MAS). His medical reports reveal that he has been
severely tortured and is in depression now. The police haven’t even
informed his family about the arrest.
Q) The police arrested you under various charges including extortion and attempt to murder. What led to the arrest?
The government knows that if farmers and workers unite, it will work
against their oppressive policies. That’s the reason they slapped
extortion and other charges against me. The police picked me up from the
Kundli industrial area during a protest against the delay in the
payment of wages by the factory owners. I have been working in a glass
factory since August and was also a part of the Mazdoor Adhikar
Sangathan to fight for labour rights. The workers were even denied basic
rights and we have been actively protesting against it. When the
farmer's protest began on the Singhu border, we became inspired by it.
During our protests, we always faced attacks from thugs in Kundli, and
sometimes, they even fired at us. On January 12 also, the goondas came
and there were clashes. However, police took their side and arrested me
under various charges.
Q) You were in Jail for 46 days. What was the condition of other female inmates in jail?
The condition of female inmates in jail is horrific. When I described
my harrowing experience to other jail mates, they weren’t surprised. In
fact, they said what I had gone through was nothing. I was shocked to
listen to their stories, the violence they had endured. There were more
than 200 women in the cell where I was kept. They were put in jail for
minor charges, most of them belonged to poor and backward communities.
Q) Aren’t you scared of speaking out?
I am not scared to speak out. Being a Dalit and poor, our life is
never easy. We have always faced discrimination. My mother is a labourer
and a trade union activist. I have seen how Dalits and workers get
exploited. I was part of my mother’s activism from childhood. I have
learned in a hard way that we can’t achieve anything without fighting.
If we bow our heads, we will be suppressed more. We have no other way
than to organize and question the oppressors.
Q) Your case garnered global attention after Meena Harris tweeted about it. Did you expect such public support?
I had no inkling of the public outcry over my arrest. It’s because
of the public support that I got bail. No woman should be made to suffer
the way I did in jail. Even when I was being tortured and fake charges
slapped, I didn’t lose hope.
Q) Do you think the voices of young people are being muzzled?
The space for dissent is definitely shrinking under this government. I
am not the only one who is raising my voice. There are several young
people, farmers, labourers, journalists, and political prisoners who are
in jail for the same reason. The draconian UAPA has been slapped on
them. Everyone will have to come forward and fight this battle. The
government can’t put lakhs in jail. Constitution has given us the right
to protest but the right has been taken away from us. To protest is a
crime, and the protester is being called anti-national now. All public
sector enterprises have been sold off to big corporates. If we don’t
speak out now, nothing will be left.
Q) Will you continue participating in ongoing farmers' protests?
I have joined the Singhu border yesterday. I am a trade union
activist and I have always stood with the farmers. The impact of the new
farm laws will be felt on labourers also. The government is trying to
stop the labourers from joining farmers or else they will have to bow
down before us. We are also fighting against new labour laws, which are
detrimental to labour rights. Now, workers won’t be able to form unions
and the working hours have been extended from 8 to 12 hours.
Q) Do you regret not continuing your studies?
I had to discontinue my studies after class 12 owing to financial
constraints. I have applied to Delhi’s Khalsa College, but I couldn’t
join because I didn’t have money. Now I am happy about the work I am
doing. A degree is futile when we don’t enjoy basic rights and freedom.