800 researchers, students sign letter against farm laws in Bengaluru

Nearly 800 science students, researchers and faculty in Bengaluru and institutions around India have signed a letter expressing solidarity with farmers over the farm laws.

They said the letter was a result of the government’s “failure to follow due process and its apathy towards genuine concerns”.

“As citizens and members of the academic community, we are deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis in the farm sector. The seasonal nature of farming renders farmers deeply vulnerable to exploitation at the time of harvest. We strongly believe that real reforms are sorely needed to protect the livelihoods of the millions of farmers who bring food to our plate despite enormous hardships,” the letter states.

The signatories said they had noted the “failures” of the government on several fronts, including a failure to follow due process, a failure to consult the real stakeholders (the farmers), a lack of acknowledgment of genuine concerns and a failure to acknowledge the right to peaceful dissent.

'Farmers vulnerable'

“We are particularly concerned that these reforms render small farmers vulnerable to exploitation by large-scale buyers by creating unregulated markets,” the signatories said, before adding that the situation presented a “golden opportunity for the government to listen to its people.”

Among the signatories are 284 students and faculty members of the Indian Institute of Science, 58 people from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), 24 from Assam Agricultural University, 21 from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, 20 from the University of Hyderabad, 17 from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, 16 from Jadavpur University, 13 from the Indian Statistical Institute, six from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, plus students from several central universities, and Indian students studying abroad.