Supporting Legal Needs Of Farmers

Published by SIKHAID on March 3, 2021

UNITED SIKHS has been offering humanitarian assistance and emergency relief to the Farmers movement in India since September 2020. Our teams in India have responded to every need of the farmers on the ground from medical emergencies, urgent care, water services, housing needs, extreme weather clothing accessories, blankets, washing machines, waste disposal and now fans.
As part of the relief mission, the need to provide legal aid emerged in the aftermath of the Farmers March into Delhi on January 26th, India’s Republic day. One protestor was killed, dozens were injured and many have gone missing or have been arrested by Indian authorities.

“UNITED SIKHS has a long and established reputation for fighting legal battles for human and civil rights of minority communities around the world. We appreciate the advocates offering pro bono legal services for farmers. From our experience, concerted efforts to ensure that every last person is adequately represented for as many years as it takes to fight legal battles warrants a dedicated team of advocates and activists together working with the local judicial system and international bodies like the United Nations to ensure that justice is served. In India we have fought litigation in hate crimes, religious rights and human rights cases from Odisha to Assam to Punjab to New Delhi. Our donors and supporters have come to expect this expertise from us, and we’re here to offer no less than that.” – Wanda Sanchez Day, UNITED SIKHS Chief Legal Officer.

UNITED SIKHS was one of the first organizations to set up immediate legal support lines for farmers and their supporters. On January 29th we established a 24/7 legal aid hotline and an online missing person form in the midst of internet service shutdowns in border locations of Delhi.
We have received over 160 inquiries through these legal reporting services. Our legal teams immediately vetted and confirmed genuine cases. We have established a help desk through a toll free helpline number in India for missing relatives and family members of protestors.
Our Legal Work:
A total of 84 cases were identified. Our legal representatives reached out to each person’s family to make sure they were aware of the whereabouts of their loved ones. Our team spent over hundreds of hours in this laborious process throughout the middle of February 2021 pruning the paperwork.
Out of these 84 cases, 59 were found to have been arrested and in jail. Their families were contacted and informed about their whereabouts. Their FIR numbers were traced through ground work, contacting officials and using all possible means as they were not available online for days after the arrest. There are 4 cases that are of missing protestors but not on the list of arrested people. Two of these protestors went missing before January 26th. We are working with their families to lay the groundwork for filing writ petitions in high court.
Our legal teams have reached out to local government hospitals and other institutions during this undertaking. Local volunteers in border locations of Delhi have also used posters and print outs in this critical search and identification mission. This work will continue until the missing persons have been successfully located.
In 3 cases we were asked to present ourselves on the request of families which were already filed. There are 2 cases that our legal teams are handling. On February 25th we took on our latest case by representing 30 year old Maninder Singh who is behind bars in Tihar Jail in Delhi. Our legal team was able to meet him in prison and his family to prepare next steps in his defense.

“UNITED SIKHS Legal Team has been putting in all efforts to carry out the statutory procedure for filing the writ petition of Habeas Corpus in the High Court for the farmers that are verified to be missing. We are constantly in touch with these families and all the groundwork is being carried out to search for missing persons at various Delhi borders.” – Harpreet Kaur, UNITED SIKHS Legal Director – India

Our legal aid teams have delivered over 150 personal relief kits to Tihar Jail where most of the arrested people are housed. The kits contain much needed essential items including 1 blanket, 1 tracksuit, undergarments, toiletries and a towel.
There are situations where there is an overlap of requests from families of protestors who have reached out to multiple organizations and their legal representatives for assistance. This is not uncommon in such a dynamic situation where following the bail come the needs of counselling and rehabilitation services for the victims. This is where one of our senior advocates, Neetu Singh, with more than nineteen years of experience in criminal, civil, and family law in Delhi High Court, Supreme Court and subordinate courts, presented herself at Tis Hazari on a request received through our online service.
While we commend the advocacy efforts of other organizations on the ground, we are aware that the current cases may continue for years in the courts in their struggle for justice. UNITED SIKHS will continue to offer legal aid to the victims and their families in their legal cases all the while offering counselling and rehabilitation services as well. We are still receiving online requests from families who are not able to locate their family members. We provide assistance in tracking the victims and follow due process. The legal-aid funds collected are being used towards the above services of the missing protestors. We thank our donors who have assisted in this effort.
UNITED SIKHS team today met with S. Prem Singh Bhangu, President of the United Farmers Front’s legal cell at Singhu border in Delhi. He highlighted the general vision on creating a collaborative network to assist the missing protestors and their families. Organizations working together in these dire circumstances, will be best equipped at addressing the dynamic challenges changing on a daily basis in one of the biggest protests in India. Our team also met with DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
None of this work would be possible without the countless hours of over 150 dedicated team members and volunteers, supporters and especially our donors.
We appreciate the efforts put in by the legal teams of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and that of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha. We remain focused on the mission and vision at hand despite the challenges presented as we know that the farmers on the ground are paying the highest cost in their struggle for economic justice.
Recent Update
Successful bail application for 19 year old student from Haryana
At UNITED SIKHS, we work with the motto that our last man will stand with the people in distress.
Gurvinder Singh
International Humanitarian Aid Director
gurvinder.singh@unitedsikhs.org
1-888-243-1690
UNITED SIKHS
Recognize the Human Race As One