The news that 176 signal transmitting telecom towers have been damaged in Punjab since Saturday is shocking. This not only brings disrepute to the agitating farmers, but also points out to a possibility of there being forces inimical to the country, and the farmers themselves, at play.
Who in their right mind would destroy their own infrastructure? India is a democracy that gives right to protest peacefully. But destruction of nation’s infrastructure, or public and private property for that matter, is no way to protest.
Crowds, in the name of agitating farmers, have damaged so far 1,411 telecom towers till date. And this is not only despicable, but alarming too. Normally, farmers of any country do not behave like this. They are known for producing and generally do not indulge in such reckless behaviour, forget about a behaviour that is damaging for their own country.
According to news agencies, the Punjab CM has appealed to the farmers to desist from destroying telecom towers in the name of opposing corporatisation. However, it seems that his appeals were not heeded.
As Gustave Le Bon had shown, people, who are good in individual life, often show different characteristics when in crowd. Anonymity brings an unrealistic feeling of invincibility and loss of moral responsibility. Gustave Le Bon also showed that many acts in a crowd are contagious and individuals sometimes even sacrifice their real personal interest for the imagined interest of the crowd.
Politicians, intelligence agencies, and forces inimical to a population, also know how to manipulate a crowd, so that they can use the same crowd to indulge in contagious manner to lead them to a path of self-harm.
Telecom towers are important for any nation, and its people as well as its economy. Who is choosing such targets for the farmers? It cannot be farmers themselves. Why would they make their own mobile phones go junk?
From the very beginning, the farmers’ agitation has been showing signs of being led by forces which do not have farmers’ greater interests in mind. That is why issues other than farming and farm laws are being brought into the debate.
The government needs to resolve this stand-off as early as possible.
