Lok Sabha breach: Neelam Verma, known as a revolutionary in her village, has been a regular protestor | India News – Times of India

GASHO KHURD/UCHANA KALAN/JIND: One of the arrested who held protest outside Parliament, Neelam Verma (37) has been known as a revolutionary in the bangar area for a long time following her participation in different agitations. She is a known face to everyone in the area as the villagers guided the TOI team to her house at the mention of her name.Neelam, the eldest child of her parents, had been active in farmer’s agitation against the three agro-marketing-now-repealed laws and had also welcomed Punjab farmers in Uchana Kalan town when they entered Haryana on November 26, 2020 and thereafter.She was even detained by Delhi police for supporting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar protesting against sexual harassment by a BJP MP on May 28 this year.”My daughter fell down from the second floor to first floor while taking the stairs to her room in 2015, leaving serious spine injuries. Subsequently, she was bedridden for three years at her cot in our home which shattered her dreams completely. She even denied for marriage after she sustained injurious and usually used to wear a belt around her waist. However, she decided to fight for the rights of downtrodden people working under MANREGA scheme. She exposed the scam of MANREGA scheme as people who were not entitled for getting work under the scheme were taking benefits without doing any work. Thereafter, she approached officials and met with them and ensured work for real beneficiaries of the region. She interacted with youth of our village and opened a library for them two years back in an empty house of a villager who used to stay in city. But she had to vacate the library after she exposed the MANREGA scam and shifted in Ghasho Kalan Village just next to our village. She has been struggling with all odds and the system since she started walking in her own feets. I spoke with her today but she didn’t reveal her Delhi plan. When we saw that people had started fostering enmity with her, we sent her to Hisar district for pursuing further study five months ago where she was staying at a paying guest (PG). We were not aware about her step and action taken on Wednesday,” said her mother Saraswati Devi (57), with a choked heart.

She further said that Neelam was worried about employment since her HTET exam (qualifying exam to apply for teaching post in Haryana) expired this year. She would say that she was highly qualified but was not getting a job, so it was better to die.“I received a call from my elder brother, who is staying in Uklana town of Hisar with his family and he asked me to switch on TV as Neelam was detained from outside the Parliament. We were unaware why she had gone to Delhi. She was active in farmers’ agitation and wrestlers’ protest. She has qualified for many teaching exams but did not get a job. She was upset because of unemployment. After the wrestlers’ protest, we asked her to focus on studies and not to participate in agitations but to no avail. She had done her graduation, master of art (MA), M.Phil and B.ed and qualified Haryana teacher eligibility test (HTET) but she didn’t got job despite so much hard work. My father prepare sweets in marriages whereas we both brothers work as milk men and somehow nurturing our family. She had appeared to crack UPSC exams, HCS exams and other examinations for recruitment but didn’t get success. But despite her serious spine injuries she has been preparing for competitive examinations and seeking to fight for rights of downtrodden people in the country. Initially, it disheartened me after watching the news on TV but later realised that Bhagat Singh too sacrificed his life to get liberty for the country from Britishers and Neelam too raised the voice against rampant unemployment in the nation therefore decided to support her now,” said Ramniwas, her younger brother.

Moreover, she is not affiliated with any organisation and used to support every needy persons. She was invited this year by the village school to hoist tricolour on the occasion of Republic day, being the most educated girl in the village. “My sister called experts from outside to teach self defence to village girls as she was worried for the safety of women in the country. We demand the centre government to release her promptly as she just expressed the issue of employment in the nation,” said her brother. In the self defence classes, she told the girls to be strong and taught them how to defend in cases of sexual harassment. She can’t commit any wrong deeds, said her family members.

Meanwhile, farmer leaders from Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) reached her home to support the family members. JINF based farmer unionist said that a state wide call would be given to stage a protest if she is not released Delhi police. “She didn’t commit a crime but raised a genuine issue as Modi-led NDA government claimed to provide two crore jobs every year but did not. Youths of the nation are depressed as there is no job despite high qualifications. She just held the protest to seek the attention of Modi government for real issues rather than pushing the nation into caste and religion’s fight. We are standing firmly with her and soon a major action would be taken,” said Azad Palwa.

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