Baba Ram Singh, the priest of a gurdwara in Haryana, died after shooting himself on Wednesday afternoon at the Delhi-Haryana border in Singhu, where he arrived last night and joined farmers from Punjab and Haryana protesting against three agricultural laws passed in the Monsoon Session. of Parliament. He was 65 years old.
In a suicide note, Singh, a resident of Singhra village in Haryana’s Karnal district, said he wanted to expose the “cruelty of the government.”
In a handwritten note in Punjabi, he said: “Farmers are suffering, they are protesting on the roads for their rights. The government is not doing them justice, which is cruel. It is a sin to endure persecution and also a sin to oppress. Some have defended farmers’ rights and against cruelty. People have returned their awards to show protest. I’m sacrificing myself. “HT has seen a copy of the note.
Sonepat Police Superintendent Jashandeep Randhawa confirmed that police had received information that a man was shot and killed in Kundli-Singhu, where farmers are protesting. Ravi Kumar, an officer from the Kundli Police Station, said the suicide note had been recovered and its authenticity was being checked.
“The Kundli police are investigating the case. A thorough investigation will be carried out ”, added the SP.
Tens of thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have gathered at the borders of Delhi, demanding the repeal of three agricultural laws that allow companies to freely trade agricultural products outside the government-controlled mandi system, allowing private traders store large quantities of essential commodities raw materials for future sales and establish new rules for contract farming.
Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed his anguish over the priest’s death. Distressed to hear that Sant Baba Ram Singh ji Nanaksar Singhra wale shot himself at the Singhu border in Kisan Dharna, watching the suffering of the farmers. Sant ji’s sacrifice will not be allowed to be in vain. I urge the Government of India not to let the situation deteriorate further and to repeal the 3 agricultural laws, ”he tweeted.
Congressional leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his grief over his death, saying that many farmers have given their lives for the upheaval. “The cruelty of the Modi government has crossed all limits. Drop the stubbornness and repeal the three farm laws, ”he tweeted.
Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: “The news of Sant Baba Ram Singh Ji’s suicide is very painful. Condolences to his family in this hour of pain. Our farmers are demanding their rights, the government should listen to the voice of the farmers and the three black laws should be repealed ”.
Amarjeet Singh, a close associate of Singh’s, said he shot himself in his own vehicle. “From the dharna site, he was rushed to a private hospital in Panipat, where he died during treatment,” he said.
Sadness descended on Singhra village after news of his death spread.
Residents of the village, as well as followers of the Karnal priest, as well as nearby districts, gathered at the Gurudwara and accused the central government of not solving the farmers’ problem and forcing Singh to kill himself.
“He had dedicated his life to Sikh Sanghat and his supreme sacrifice will not be wasted as it will unite all farmers,” said Angrej Singh Pannu, another of his associates.
Singh, who moved to Karnal in 1983 from Ludhiana in Punjab, was popular in the community and had thousands of followers in Karnal and nearby districts.
He used to organize week-long satsangs (prayer meetings) and langars (community kitchens) for thousands of people, village residents said.
His body has been kept in Singhra Gurudwara village and will be cremated on Thursday.
Additional police forces have been deployed in and around the village as a preventive measure, local police said on Wednesday.
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