Updated: December 21, 2020 8:24:02 am
‘Shradhanjali Diwas’ observed in the Jhamat village of Ludhiana. (Archive)
On Sunday, tributes were paid to 41 farmers who have died since September 15, when protests against three Central farm laws intensified.
“Our union organized programs to pay tribute to farmers in 98 villages in Punjab on Sunday. We will continue to pay tribute to them by organizing these programs in 15 districts of Punjab until December 24, ”said Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, Secretary General of BKU (Ugrahan).
Holding photographs of those who died during these protests, the farmers moved through various lanes of towns and cities. The first death occurred on September 18 when Preetam Singh, 65, of Akkanwali in Mansa village, consumed sulfa tablets in a dharna outside the home of former Prime Minister Parkash Singh Badal. He was rushed to hospital but died. He died a day after ordinances were passed in Lok Sabha while Pakka Morcha had been going on outside Badal’s home since September 15. His body was cremated after the government gave him Rs 3 lakh compensation, a job letter to a family member and a promise of loan exemption. .
So far, 41 farmers have died in Punjab and Delhi since Sept. 15 when protests against farm laws escalated in Punjab and Haryana. Of these, 30 were only from Malwa’s belt, six from Doaba’s belt, two from Majha’s belt, and three from Haryana.
There are no exact lists of people who died in Morcha Delhi or on the way to Delhi. More than 26 of them are said to have died after November 26 in Delhi or on the way to or while returning from Delhi. Among these victims were two women: Tej Kaur, 80, who died in Budhlada by accidentally falling on the train track on 8 October, and Gurmail Kaur, who died of a heart attack during a protest in Bathinda.
Farmers started going to Delhi from November 26 from Punjab and the first death occurred on November 27 when 45-year-old Dhanna Singh from a Mansa village was killed when a tractor she was riding on was hit by a truck from behind near Bhiwani. His family received 5 lakh rupees in compensation from the Punjab government.
In Delhi, many farmers died due to cold weather, while few others in traffic accidents due to fog. Kokrikalan said: “All farmers who were members of BKU (Ugrahan) have received compensation from the Punjab government ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.”
Farmer dies, cops investigate possibility of suicide
A 22-year-old farmer from Punjab, who returned from the Singhu border, allegedly committed suicide after consuming a poisonous substance in Bathinda village in Dayalpura Mirza. He was identified as Gurlabh Singh and had returned to his village on Friday, Bathinda police said.
The information revealed that he consumed some poisonous substance in his home on Saturday.
He was taken to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 6.5 lakh rupees in debt, but the reason for the suicide had not yet been determined, said Joginder Singh Jawanda, the leader of the BKU (Ugrahan) in that area.
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