Mansa farmer dies at Tikri border protest site; fifth such death

Gurjant Singh started for Delhi from Dabwali border on Dec 27 and reached Tikri border after more than 15 hrs

Gurjant Singh (60), a resident of Bachhoana village of Mansa district, died Wednesday morning at the Tikri border where he had gone to protest against Centre’s farm laws. He was part of the BKU (Ugrahan)’s protest group.

Gurjant had got sick at the protest site on the intervening night of December 1 and 2 after which he was rushed to the hospital. He was referred to Rohtak, where he was declared dead.

The 60-year-old had started for Delhi from Dabwali border on December 27 morning and had reached at Tikri border after more than 15 hours due to hurdles on the way created by Haryana government and also due to traffic congestion, said Lachman Singh Sewewala, general secretary of Pendu Khet Mazdoor Union.

He added that Gurjant’s body has been kept in mortuary of Bahadurgarh Civil Hospital and it will not be cremated till the time compensation of Rs 10 lakh is not given to family apart from loan waiver and job to a family member.

On December 1, Baljinder Singh (32) had died in a road accident in Kurukshetra while he was returning from the Delhi protest site. He belonged to village Jhammat of Ludhiana.

Gurjant is the fifth farmer to have died after joining farmers’ Delhi morcha. First one was Dhanna Singh (45) who died on the way to Delhi on December 27 in a road accident near Bhiwani. Janak Raj (55), a tractor repair helper died while sleeping in car at Tikri border. Gajjan Singh (55) died at Tikri border after he got unwell and now Gurjant is the fifth farmer. Meanwhile, Sewewala said, “Punjab government has agreed to give 10 lakh to Janak Raj’s family and his body will be cremated tomorrow.”

Bodies of Gajjan Singh, Janak Raj and now Gurjant Singh are still at the Bahadurgarh Civil Hospital. Janak Raj’s body will be sent to his Dhanaula village in Barnala district on December 3. He had died in the intervening night of December 29-30.

Dhanna Singh’s family wanted to cremate body as it was badly crushed under tyre of a tractor, and so the compensation demand was given up by BKU (Dakaunda) in his case. Gajjan Singh was member of BKU (Sidhupur) and the union has demanded a job for a family member from the Centre and loan waiver.

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