India’s protesting farmers joined by their wives and mothers on International Women’s Day

At dawn on Friday, Baljeet Kaur, a farmer from Punjab, led a group of 200 women to the village of Shambhu in the state with one mission in mind: to join the ongoing farmers’ protest in India on International Women’s Day.

The 38-year-old mother of two from Chamuru village said that it was important to raise awareness of the struggles faced by women farmers in India on this day.

“If today, people across the globe are celebrating Women’s Day, I joined our ongoing protest to convey a message that bolsters our legitimate struggle for the welfare of thousands of women farmers who toil on farms, enduring sunburns to sustain their livelihoods,” she told This Week in Asia.

At Shambhu, near the border with the state of Haryana, protesting farmers from the “Delhi Chalo” (Let’s Go to Delhi) movement were prevented by government forces from advancing towards the capital.