The 65-year-old man had shot himself, police said.
New Delhi:
The priest of a Gurdwara in Haryana, Baba Ram Singh, who joined the farmers’ protest, committed suicide; he had shot himself. The 65-year-old man was at the Delhi-Sonipat border in Kundli, where he arrived last night. The area is 2 km from the border of Singhu, the epicenter of the farmers’ protest, which is now in its 21st day. In a note, he said he was sacrificing his life “to express anger and pain at the injustice of the government.”
“I feel the pain of the farmers who fight to guarantee their rights … I share their pain because the government is not doing them justice. Inflicting injustice is a sin, but it is also a sin to tolerate injustice. Supporting farmers, some have returned their awards to the government. I have decided to sacrifice myself, “said the note he left.
“He was rushed to Park Hospital in Panipat and the doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival,” said Shyam Lal Poonia, Sonipat Police Deputy Commissioner. His body is now being transferred to Karnal, where he lived, the officer added.
Since the end of November, tens of thousands of farmers have gathered on Delhi’s borders from Punjab and Haryana, demanding that the three agricultural sector laws passed by the government in September be removed.
More than 20 of the protesters have died, farmers’ representatives said yesterday. A farmer leader from Maharashtra, Rishipal, said that one farmer has died every day on average since the protest started.
“A Day of Tribute (Shraddhanjali Diwas) for all the farmers who lost their lives and became martyrs in the ongoing protest will be organized across the country in the villages and headquarters of Tehsil on December 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 pm, “he said.
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