LUDHIANA: The farmer from Jhammat village in Ludhiana, who had died on Tuesday in a road accident near Kurukshetra in Haryana while returning from the farmers’ protest at Delhi, will be given martyr’s status by the village.
Sarpanch Harpal Singh said since Baljinder Singh had gone for ‘sangharsh’ (agitation), he would be conferred the status of a martyr. He said they would soon hold a meeting in this regard with prominent villagers.
“After the accident, a group of eight to nine villagers had gone to Haryana to bring Baljinder’s body. As he died after joining the fight of the farmers at Delhi, he will be given martyrs’ status,” said former sarpanch of the village Prithpal Singh.
A pall of gloom descended on the village as the body of the 32-year-old farmer was brought by a group of villagers from the LNJP Civil Hospital in Thanesar on Wednesday. His mother, wife and sister were inconsolable, while tears welled up in the eyes of the other villagers. He also leaves behind six-year-old daughter Noor and son Jaiveer Singh, 3. Later in the day, Baljinder was cremated at the village cremation ground.
Around 5pm on Tuesday, Baljinder and another villager Gurjit Singh, 30, were returning home from the farmers’ agitation at Delhi on a motorcycle when an unknown vehicle hit them near Gaushala in Kurukshetra on NH-44. While Baljinder died, Gurjit suffered injuries in the accident.
The villagers said that Baljinder and Gurjit had gone to participate in the agitation on a motorcycle on November 26, along with other youths from the village, and the duo was returning as some other youths of the village were scheduled to leave for the agitation after their arrival.
A villager Surjeet Singh said Baljinder was a simple person who would always come forward to help villagers.