Gurmail Kaur used to make Rotis for the agitating farmers at the protest site. She suddenly passed away on Tuesday.
Farmers, protesting against the new agriculture reforms brought in by the Modi government, are not ready to back down. While thousands of farmers surround national capital Delhi in order to make their voices heard, the discussions called by the centre with farmers have hardly been fruitful. On one hand, where Modi government says it is willing to accommodate changes into existing laws based on inputs from farmers, the farmers want the three laws completely repealed. “Yes or No?” many posters at protest asked the government.
However, the bone-chilling cold at the protest site has not really helped the agitating farmers. Many farmers have lost their lives in midst of the ongoing protest due to different reasons. The protesting farmers have now started calling the deceased protesters as Shahid (martyrs).
On Tuesday, another farmer passed away at Singhu border protest site. Ajay Mori, who passed away, was a 32-years-old farmer from Baroda in Sonipat. Protesters told that Mori’s health deteriorated suddenly, after which he was admitted to the hospital. He passed away on Monday morning during the treatment. Police have said that hypothermia can be a reason for Mori’s passing. However, his family members said that intense cold caused his death.
Other than Mori, eight other farmers have passed away during ongoing protests. Sanjay Singh, Kitab Singh, Gurjant Singh, Gurubhash Singh, Gajjar Singh, Baljinder Singh, Dhanna Singh and Lakhbir Singh are among those who breathed their last during the protest.
Gurmail Kaur used to make Rotis for the agitating farmers at the protest site. She suddenly passed away on Tuesday. Sanjay Singh from Sonipat also lost his life at Singhu Border. In Haryana’s Jind, one of the farmers sitting for the demonstration died of a heart attack. The deceased farmer Kitab Singh was 60 years old and was leading the protest on the highway.
60-years-old farmer Gurjant Singh passed away last week at Bahadurgarh Border, while farmer Gurubhash Singh lost his life at Delhi Border. Gajjar Singh, who came from Ludhiana’s Khatra Bhagwanpura village, breathed his last in protest. He passed away due to a cardiac attack, according to reports.
Baljinder Singh, who was returning home after participating in the protest at Delhi, died of an accident on December 1. Dhanna Singh, a 42-years-old farmer, too lost his life in an accident. Dhanna Singh was the first farmer to die amid ongoing protests. Lakhbir Singh, who was involved in Langar service at Tikri border protest site, passed away due to a heart attack. He was from Mansa district of Punjab.
A mechanic who’d come to repair the farmers’ tractors, got locked inside his car that caught fire, ultimately passing away.
Despite several deaths, farmers are not willing to back down even by an inch. Their demands are clear, and they’d reiterated it in their meetings with the centre. However, the talks with the centre have not resulted in a concrete solution for farmers.
But while the protests are about to complete two weeks, the question remains that whether it was avoidable? The centre showed intent to solve all the issues farmers, however, it has also let the protests stretch for around two weeks, during which several farmers have lost their lives. Could the issue be resolved earlier so that these people would not have lost lives? Will the issue be resolved sooner so that no more farmers succumb to death at protest site?
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
