60-year-old farmer agitating against anti-farmers bills outside Badal’s residence ends life

MUKATSAR SAHIB, Punjab—A 60-year-old Sikh farmer agitating against farm bills being enacted by Indian government outside residence of former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) patriarch Badal at village Badal committed suicide today by consuming a poisonous substance.

Owing allegiance to the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), the farmers are on a six-day-long dharna outside the residence of the former CM. The farmer identified as Pritam Singh from Mansa district was taking part in the protest.

Today morning, he suddenly consumed some poisonous substance at the protest site. After he fell unconscious he was immediately taken to a private hospital in Bathinda. However, he was very critical and died during the treatment.

Leaders of the farmer organization have refused to give the administration the dead body for autopsy until any of the representatives of the government does not come to the protest site to announce compensation to the deceased’s family.

Across the state, the farmers are upset over the indifferent attitude of the Indian government and agitating against the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020, The Farmers Produce, Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020.  These bills are being passed in Parliament of India despite stiff opposition from the farmers and rival political parties of the BJP that is ruling in centre.

Farmer organisations will observe a statewide shutdown in protest against the passage of the three bills on September 25. Market labour and commission agents will join the farmers’ stir during the Punjab Bandh. The Kisan Sangharsh Committee and Sikh organizations, which gathered at Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, on Thursday announced support for the bandh call.

On September 26, the rail roko protest will be carried out in Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Jalalabad and Tarn Taran districts. No train will be allowed to ply by farmers through these districts.

Under the pressure of the stir by farmers in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) Members of Parliament had to vote against these bills in the parliament. Earlier, this party which claims to be representative of farmers of Punjab, was supporting these bills. The SAD (B) president Sukhbir Badal’s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal also had to resign as Union Minister of Food Processing Industry in BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in centre. However, this party has not withdrawn support to the BJP-led government.

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