12 days on, farmer’s body still in mortuary

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 15

Twelve days have passed but the body of the farmer who committed suicide at Lehra Dhurkot on May 3 is still lying in the Rampura Civil Hospital mortuary.

Egged on by farmer union leaders, the family members of the deceased, Gursewak Singh, are refusing to collect the body and are not even allowing the post-mortem to be conducted.

The kin, along with farmers, have been staging protest demanding that all accused should be arrested.

While the police arrested the second accused on Friday, the third is still at large.

BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) district president Shingara Singh Mann said the protest was on as the police had not arrested all accused booked in abetment of suicide case. He said the main accused was still absconding.

Gursewak had allegedly hanged himself from a tree at his village last Sunday.

The Rampura police had recovered a suicide note from his pocket.

Gursewak had held Amarjeet Sharma of Bhagta Bhaika, Darshan Singh of Mandi Kalan and Rishu of Rampura Phul responsible for his death, as they had purchased land from him, but had allegedly not made full payment.

When he asked for money, the accused reportedly threatened him, read the suicide note.

The police had registered a case against the trio on the statement of the deceased’s widow, Kulwinder Kaur.

Afterwards, one of the accused, Darshan Singh of Mandi Kalan, surrendered in the court. The police arrested the second accused Rishu in the case on Friday.