Updated: December 19, 2020 9:11:21 am
Baba Ram Singh died on Wednesday of a gunshot wound in Kundli, near the Singhu border in Delhi.
With thousands of gurdwara from Singhra village flocking to attend Baba Ram Singh’s cremation, his followers say that “his sacrifice will further fuel the agitation of the farmers with their maximum following coming from the farming community.”
The Sikh preacher died on Wednesday of a gunshot wound in Kundli, near the Singhu border in Delhi. His associates say he shot himself with his licensed revolver. In an alleged suicide note, he had expressed his grief at the plight of farmers protesting against the Center’s agricultural laws.
Top religious leaders in the region, including the Chairman of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Bibi Jagir Kaur, and high-level political leaders, including the former Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, his son, and Deputy of Congress, Deepender Singh Hooda, Deputy Shiromani Akali Dal, Prem Singh Chandumajra, and local BJP leaders, including former Chief Secretary of Parliament and former MLA Bakhshish Singh Virk attended the last rites. A large number of women were also present.
For the past two days, the mortal remains had been kept inside the gurdwara where the followers paid the last tributes. In the midst of a shower of flowers, her body was taken to the gurdwara complex where the last rites were performed. A police team was also present, but mainly to monitor the organization of the traffic.
Baba Ram Singh was cremated on Friday. (Photo Express)
A follower of Baba Ram Singh’s Nanaksar sect, Navdeep Singh, 34, had come from the Habdi village of Kaithal district. “If we look at history, we will see that such sacrifices are never in vain. There will also be a revolution in this turmoil now. The government has to bow down by withdrawing three agricultural laws within 5-10 days, ”said Navdeep Singh, who has a master’s degree in economics from Panjab University in Chandigarh. Navdeep said that Baba Ram Singh had a following across caste and religious lines, but admitted that the majority come from the Sikh community. “We believe he has given a sacrifice for the ongoing farmer agitation,” Navdeep said, adding that he always attends the sect’s main religious functions held here in April and October each year.
A farmer from the neighboring Jlala village, Gagandeep Singh, 33, said: “Baba Ram Singh has sacrificed his life for farmers like us. We have not cooked food in our homes for the past two days. “
Echoing similar sentiments, Nissing’s Gurmej Singh said that the sentiments of people supporting protesting farmers are increasing by the day. A young man from Singhra village, Gursevak Singh, said: “You have seen how thousands of followers came to the gurdwara here. Anger is spreading even further among farmers. “
BKU (Doaba) leader Manjit Singh Rai also said that “Baba Ram Singh’s sacrifice will not be in vain.” He called on farmers to boycott BJP leaders who accuse the saffron party of communal politics. “If someone opposes the policies of the BJP, they start calling them terrorists or Naxalites,” he added.
Many high-level agricultural leaders, including the head of the Haryana Union of Bhartaiya Kisan, Gurnam Singh Chaduni and Baldev Singh Sirsa, also attended the funeral.
Bibi Jagir Kaur, who was one of the few religious leaders who addressed the followers, said that the central government should accept the protesters’ demands immediately because the “annadata” is sitting on the roads in the middle of a cold snap. . “The agitation of farmers and farmers grows stronger every time a sacrifice is made. It would be a scar for the Indian government if it does not bow down to accept the demands of the farmers. Then it would be called a government of the cruel, ”he said while speaking to The Indian Express.
Hooda said the government should learn a lesson “from the sacrifice of Baba Ram Singh and accept the demands of the agitated farmers, as 22 farmers have lost their lives in 23 days.”
“The demands of the farmers are justified and the government must accept them as soon as possible. This will be a true tribute to the sacrifice of Ram Singh Ji and all the martyred farmers. The government should not test the patience of farmers, ”he said.
“The farmers are sitting in peace, braving the freezing cold under the open sky on the borders of Delhi, but this does not worry the government. Every Indian’s heart is pained by the problems and suffering of the farmers, but the government is taking a stubborn and stubborn attitude. A democratically elected government, elected by the people, must not have a stubborn attitude and there is no room for stubbornness in a democracy, ”he said.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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