Who Is Nodeep Kaur and why US Vice-president’s niece is demanding her release

By Shivangi Sharma

Nodeep Kaur is a 23 Year Old Dalit Activist, who Has Been In Jail Since 12 January And Whose Release Is Being Demanded By Twitterati Including Kamala Harris’s Niece

Not many Indians knew about her few days back but now she is in the eye of storm, with an international campaign brewing in support of her release.

“This is not just farmer’s struggle, but the struggle of labourers and students as well. Till we don’t come together, neither is the farmer going to be successful nor anybody else.”

These are the words of Punjabi Dalit labour right’s activist Nodeep Kaur.

Nodeep belongs to Punjab’s Muktsar and is a member of Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan (MAS), a union of workers and farmers active in the movement against the recently brought farm laws. She was arrested by Haryana police on 12 January for serious offences including extortion and attempt to murder. Nodeep’s sister Rajveer has told news agencies that she is picked by the police on false charges and has been assaulted in the custody. The family is approaching the Punjab & Haryana High Court as Session’s Court in Sonipat has denied her bail in view of gravity of offences.

Nodeep joined the protest against the newly brought farm laws in November where she mobilized the workers and farmers raising the slogan ‘kisan mazdoor ekta zindabad’.

After her high school education, she started working in a factory in Kundli because of financial hardships at home and became a member of MAS where she along with other members has been fighting against the harassment of workers by Kundli Industrial Association (KIA).

A video of Nodeep has gone viral where she explains that workers and farmers are inseparable. Opposing the privitisation of farming, she says “The government is selling us, our work, our livelihood to make money for themselves.”

Her sister has informed that she has been sacked from her job after she joined the protest.

There are many online campaigns ongoing to press for her release.

(Views expressed here are author’s personal and don’t necessarily represent Ten News’s opinions)