Another farmer protesting at the Khanauri border has passed away, escalating the death toll to 5 amid the ongoing Delhi Chalo protest. The deceased, a 62-year-old farmer named Darshan Singh from Amargarh village in Bathinda district, had been stationed at the Khanauri border since February 13, a report by Times of India said.
Singh, who owned approximately 8 acres of land and was in debt of Rs 8 lakh, had recently arranged for his son's marriage. The farmer association, BKU Ekta Sidhupur, expressing their condolences, has called for compensation for the grieving family.
Resham Singh, the general secretary of the organization in Bathinda, urged the government to agree to the demands to prevent further farmer deaths at the borders. Singh fell unconscious around 11 p.m. on Thursday at the protest site. He was initially taken to the Patran community health centre (CHC) and later referred to the government Rajendra hospital in Patiala, where he was declared brain dead.
This comes after Shubhkaran Singh, a 21-year-old farmer from Bhatinda, lost his life during clashes between security personnel and protesting farmers at the Khanauri border. The confrontations resulted in injuries to twelve police personnel.
"Darshan Singh was survived by his wife Paramjit Kaur, a daughter, and a 24-year-old son who was married only 20 days ago. He owns nine acres of agricultural land. He also had a debt of around Rs 9 lakh. His body has been kept in the mortuary of the government Rajindra hospital in Patiala; however, a decision over the postmortem is being taken," TOI quoted Lakhvir Singh, a relative of the deceased farmer as saying.
Meanwhile, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a judicial inquiry by a Supreme Court judge into the firing incident and the resulting damage to tractors. Additionally, the SKM has urged the Punjab government to file an FIR against Haryana officials.
The SKM General Body has decided to establish a six-member committee to engage in discussions with former SKM members, formulating a united action plan to address farmers' demands, foster issue-based unity, and bring together all farmer organizations previously associated with the SKM.
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