Hindi English Translation || Editorial || A murder most foul: On the lynching at a farmer protest site

A murder most foul: On the lynching at a farmer protest site

The farmers’ movement must not let their platform to be used by sectarian (सांप्रदायिक, पक्षपातपूर्ण, चरम) outfits (संगठन, समूह)

The brutal murder of a Dalit Sikh man by a group of Nihangs — a religious sect (संप्रदाय, धार्मिक समूह) that has also participated in the protests against the farm laws — at the site of the farm protests at the Singhu border in Haryana has brought the farmers’ agitation into the spotlight (लोकप्रियता, जनता का ध्यान) for all the wrong reasons. The Nihang activists (कार्यकर्ता) who are responsible for the murder must be apprehended immediately and tried for the horrific crime. Their blatant (ज़बरदस्त, स्पष्ट) disregard (अवहेलना, उदासीनता, असावधानी) for the rule of law (विधि-शासन) is evident in the manner in which they have justified their crime and in their nonchalance (उदासीनता, असंबद्धता, लापरवाही) in accepting responsibility for it citing their religious sect’s traditional practices. The Haryana government must spare no effort (try hard, do one’s best, do all one can, make an effort) in bringing the culprits to justice, should appeal for (के लिए अपील करना, ईमानदारी से पूछें) the strictest punishment and a message must be sent that the claims (दावा, विवाद, पुष्टि) of religious sanction (प्रतिबंध, स्वीकृति) for violence are illegal and are punishable. While the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) (formed on 7th November 2020, a coalition of over forty Indian farmers’ unions to coordinate satyagragh (non-violent resistance) against the three farm acts), which includes various farmer groups and has led the protests, has rightly distanced itself from the Nihangs and their actions and asked that the perpetrators (अपराधकर्ता, कर्ता) be brought to book, it remains a question as to (concerning, respecting, with respect to, on the subject of, as regards, regarding) why groups which base themselves on religious traditions have been allowed to be a part of protests that are based (use as a basis) on economic demands in the first place. In its loose (ढीला) nature of agglomeration, the SKM has sought to articulate (express, pronounce, state, point out) the concerns by subsuming (include, incorporate, absorb, encompass) the interests of several sections of those involved in the farm sector. But it is clear that the nature of the protests — as demonstrations and protests by non-political party groups — has allowed it to be utilised by sectarian outfits for their ends.

The SKM has been a non-political party movement in order to (with the purpose/aim of) articulate demands related solely (only) to the farm laws and to direct the protests at the Union government. But in doing so, it has unwittingly (unintentionally, unknowingly, inadvertently) allowed sectarian groups, whose motives are suspect (suspicious, dubious, untrustworthy; questionable, doubtful), to share space with them. By and large (largely, mostly, mainly, in general), the farm agitations have been peaceful, even if their leaders have refused to give up on their position of repealing (invalidate, reverse, cancel, nullify, revoke) the laws passed in Parliament, but the incidence of violence such as those seen on Republic Day featuring a set of the agitators, besides (in addition to, as well, apart from) the murder at Singhu suggest that the loose nature of the campaign is allowing such incidents to recur (happen again, reoccur, occur again, be repeated). Detractors (critic, fault-finder, backbiter, censurer) of the farmers’ movement have sought to denigrate (criticise, attack, insult, devalue, defame) it by reducing it to Sikh separatist and sectarian movements. A political attempt is being made to drive a wedge between (to cause misunderstanding or quarrel between two people and damage their good relationship) the different communities that are a part of the protests, as seen in the reactions in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in Uttar Pradesh as well. The farm protests cannot be wished away with such a reductive (explaining (something complicated) in a simple way) approach. Even as strict actions are taken against violent activists, the atmosphere of distrust (mistrust, suspicion, lack of trust) that persists between the Government and the farm unions can only be reversed (change, alter, undo; cancel, revoke, repeal, nullify) with further talks to address (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) the latter’s concerns with the laws.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.sectarian (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सांप्रदायिक, पक्षपातपूर्ण, चरम
English Meaning - dogmatic, extreme, fanatical, factional, partisan.

2.outfit (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संगठन, समूह
English Meaning - group.

3.sect (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संप्रदाय, धार्मिक समूह
English Meaning - religious group, faith community.

4.the spotlight (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लोकप्रियता, जनता का ध्यान
English Meaning - the public attention, the focus of public/media; the public eye.

5.activist (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकर्ता
English Meaning - campaigner.

6.apprehend (verb)

Hindi Meaning - पकड़ना, गिरफ़्तार करना
English Meaning - arrest, catch, capture (someone for a crime).

7.blatant (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - ज़बरदस्त, स्पष्ट
English Meaning - evident, flagrant/glaring, obvious.

8.disregard (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अवहेलना, उदासीनता, असावधानी
English Meaning - indifference, non-observance; inattention, heedlessness, carelessness, negligence. 

9.rule of law (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - विधि-शासन
English Meaning - it is described as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards.

10.nonchalance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उदासीनता, असंबद्धता, लापरवाही
English Meaning - unconcern, lack of concern, indifference, carelessness.

11.appeal for (verb)

Hindi Meaning - के लिए अपील करना, ईमानदारी से पूछें
English Meaning - ask earnestly, request urgently, call, make a plea, plead.

12.claim (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दावा, विवाद, पुष्टि
English Meaning - assertion, contention, affirmation.

13.sanction (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिबंध, स्वीकृति
English Meaning - support, backing, approval, acceptance.

14.perpetrator (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अपराधकर्ता, कर्ता
English Meaning - someone who does immoral, harmful, and illegal activity; offender, criminal, wrongdoer/evil-doer, culprit.

15.loose (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - ढीला
English Meaning - not rigidly/strictly organized.

16.Farm Acts, 2000 (noun)

English Meaning - Farm Acts, 2000 refer to three agricultural bills passed by Indian Parliament in September 2020. The three acts are “The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 (FPTC Act) allows farmers to sell their harvest outside the notified Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis without paying any State taxes or fees”, “the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 facilitates contract farming and direct marketing”, and “the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 deregulates the production, storage, movement and sale of several major foodstuffs, including cereals, pulses, edible oils and onion, except in the case of extraordinary circumstances”.

17.murder most foul (phrase)

English Meaning - a phrase that comes from Shakespeare’s most popular play Hamlet. “Murder most foul” literally means a murder that is immoral in intention and very unpleasant in nature. It also means a murder is the most unpleasant/immoral of all crimes.

18.foul (adjective)

English Meaning - evil, wicked, sinful, immoral, wrongful.

19.lynching (noun)

English Meaning - an act of punishing/killing someone by hanging for claimed offence by the group of people without legal trail.

20.try (verb)

English Meaning - hear, investigate (a case) and make a formal judgement on it; pass judgement on, adjudge, adjudicate.

21.spare no effort (phrase)

English Meaning - try hard, do one’s best, do all one can, make an effort.

22.bring someone to justice (phrase)

English Meaning - arrest/punish someone for a crime committed.

23.Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) (noun)

English Meaning - formed on 7th November 2020, a coalition of over forty Indian farmers’ unions to coordinate satyagragh (non-violent resistance) against the three farm acts. 

24.distance oneself from (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - denounce, disown, reject, condemn, disagree with.

25.bring someone to book (phrase)

English Meaning - punish, take to task, bring to justice; reprimand.

26.as to (phrase)

English Meaning - concerning, respecting, with respect to, on the subject of, as regards, regarding.

27.base (something on) (verb)

English Meaning - use as a basis.

28.agglomeration (noun)

English Meaning - assemblage, cluster; accumulation, build-up.

29.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

30.articulate (verb)

English Meaning - express, pronounce, state, point out.

31.subsume (verb)

English Meaning - include, incorporate, absorb, encompass.

32.utilize/use for one’s ends (phrase)

English Meaning - take advantage of, exploit, use/utilize for someone’s own benefits. 

33.in order to (phrase)

English Meaning - with the purpose/aim of.

34.solely (adverb)

English Meaning - only.

35.persist (verb)

English Meaning - continue, remain, linger, stay.

36.reverse (verb)

English Meaning - change, alter, undo; cancel, revoke, repeal, nullify.

37.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

38.unwittingly (adverb)

English Meaning - unintentionally, unknowingly, inadvertently.

39.suspect (adjective)

English Meaning - suspicious, dubious, untrustworthy; questionable, doubtful.

40.by and large (phrase)

English Meaning - largely, mostly, mainly, in general.

41.give up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - stop, discontinue, renounce, forgo, abandon.

42.repeal (verb)

English Meaning - invalidate, reverse, cancel, nullify, revoke.

43.feature (verb)

English Meaning - have (as a participant).

44.besides (preposition/linking adverb)

English Meaning - in addition to, as well, apart from.

45.campaign (noun)

English Meaning - an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group.

46.recur (verb)

English Meaning - happen again, reoccur, occur again, be repeated.

47.detractor (noun)

English Meaning - critic, fault-finder, backbiter, censurer.

48.denigrate (verb)

English Meaning - criticise, attack, insult, devalue, defame.

49.separatist (adjective)

English Meaning - dissident, nonconformist, sectarian.

50.drive a wedge between (phrase)

English Meaning - to cause misunderstanding or quarrel between two people and damage their good relationship.

51.wish away (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to desire or hope that a problematic issue or situation will disappear without (you) doing anything about it.

52.reductive (adjective)

English Meaning - explaining (something complicated) in a simple way.

53.atmosphere (noun)

English Meaning - conditions, circumstances, backdrop/context.

54.distrust (noun)

English Meaning - mistrust, suspicion, lack of trust.