Peaceful protest seems to be a common theme in India; back in the 1930’s, Ghandi led a group of peaceful protesters for miles across India and today we see farmers digging holes and sitting in them for hours on end in order to get their demands met. India’s Constitution gives its citizens similar fundamental rights to those we possess in the United States including the right to peaceful assembly. Therefore, the government cannot forcefully remove the protesters no matter how badly they want to build their housing development. Originally, the farmers tried to use a simple protest, but they were being ignored, so I think their action was quite ingenious. Housing construction workers are not physically capable of building when there are people literally sitting in the way. I think this protest is especially important because it speaks to India’s social classes that still exist today. Out of the 2,500 families that live on the threatened land, 1,500 make a living off of farming. Not only that, but many of the farmers are women who, without their farm, would be done for. Women are not offered the same opportunities in India as they are here, so it is important to realize that farming is one of the only ways they can make a living and support themselves.
