Protesters gather in cars outside the Guru Nanak Religious Society Sikh Temple in West Columbus in solidarity with farmer protests in India. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Inside their cars and with posters and megaphones, Ohio State students joined Columbus community members with a simple message for the Indian government more than 8,000 miles away: “No farmers, no food.”
More than 100 cars full of people rallied outside the Guru Nanak Religious Society Sikh Temple in West Columbus Saturday afternoon. Jot Hansra, president of the Sikh Student Association at Ohio State and a fifth-year in biology, said Saturday’s rally is part of an international day of protest against India’s agricultural laws that dismantle the country’s Agricultural Produce Market Committee, which allowed farmers to sell goods through a government-controlled market with a set minimum price.
Although India Prime Minister Narendra Modi argued the three new laws, passed in September, allow for farmers to sell directly to consumers and grocers, farmers argue these laws will leave them struggling to meet the minimum price in years when there is too much supply since big companies can now drive down prices.
“The Indian government is not hearing the cries of farmers at home,” Hansra, whose relatives are farmers in Punjab, India, said.
The protest featured speeches from two Ohio State students — Hansra and Nitisha Bhatt, a fourth-year in film studies and theoretical math.
“The farmers are planting, growing, harvesting and giving all of these gifts to the world, and the Indian government is passively standing to the side ignoring our voices,” Bhatt said.
The cars traveled along a planned route north on Interstate 270 up to Dublin then back south on State Route 315, passing by Ohio State’s campus before turning west on Interstate 70 and ending back at the temple.
The agricultural sector accounts for more than half of India’s working population according to India’s most recent Census in 2011. After the three laws were passed in September, farmers from all across India protested for days outside New Delhi.
Hansra said the Sikh Student Association at Ohio State is a religious organization that aims to educate the Columbus community about the Sikh faith, primarily through community service.
She said many students — herself included — have friends and family in India’s agricultural sector and have been impacted by the new legislation. Hansra said even people who don’t personally know Indian farmers are affected by the laws, as the U.S. benefits from India’s agricultural industry.
“This isn’t about religion,” Hansra said. “This is about human rights, this is about equality.”
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative website, India was the U.S.’ 14th largest supplier of agricultural goods in 2019, amounting to $2.6 billion in imports. Leading categories of imports were spices, rice and essential oils.
Mary Kidwell, Twinkle Panda, Owen Milnes, Sarah Szilagy and Max Garrison contributed reporting.
This story was updated at 12:32 p.m. Feb. 16 to say there were more than 100 cars at the rally.
