Farmer hangs himself in mobile toilet at site of protest against farm laws in Ghaziabad

LUCKNOW: A farmer, identified as Kashmir Singh, 75, allegedly hanged himself in a mobile toilet at UP Gate in Ghaziabad, the site of the ongoing protest against the farm laws, on Saturday morning.

As per police sources, the deceased farmer, who hailed from Bilaspur village of Rampur district in western UP, has left behind a suicide note in which he expressed the wish that his last rites should be performed by his grandson at UP Gate itself.

He was part of the sit-in protest farmers have been staging at the site since November 28 against the three farm laws enacted in September to liberalise the agriculture sector.

As per Circle Officer Anshu Jain, the deceased was found hanging in one of the mobile toilets at the protest site. The suicide note he left behind was written in Gurmukhi. “The farmers’ committee has decided not to go for autopsy. Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide and nobody has suspected any foul play. The note recovered from his possession will be examined,” said Jain.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national media co-ordinator Shamsher Rana claimed that the farmer, in his suicide note, had blamed the government for not accepting the demands of farmers. “[He] has also mentioned that his funeral be conducted at the UP Gate [protest site]. However, it is likely that his body will be sent to his native place and handed over to his family,” he said.

On Friday, a 57-year-old farmer from Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district had died at the protest site. The cause of his death could not be ascertained as his family refused permission for a postmortem. His brother said that the deceased had complained of breathlessness on Friday morning and died later in the day.

It is now over a month since scores of farmers from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand began protesting at UP Gate against the three farm laws passed and promulgated in September last year. Farmers from Uttar Pradesh have also occupied one lane at the Chilla (Delhi-Noida link road) border. Farmers’ unions have threatened to intensify their agitation if their demands --- primarily the repeal of the farm laws --- are not met in the eighth round of talks with the Centre on Monday.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)