Another Punjab farmer dies at Shambhu protest site

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 7

One more farmer died at a protest site on the Shambhu border on Tuesday. He was identified as Jaswant Singh (70) of Shahbazpur village in Tarn Taran.

Farmers at the protest site said he did not wake up in the morning. Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the farmer was rushed to a hospital in Rajpura where he was declared brought dead due to a heart attack.

Jaswant Singh is survived by his wife Balwinder Kaur and a son and two daughters. Later, during the afternoon, his body was brought to the protest site where farmer leaders paid tributes to him. Later, his body was taken in a vehicle to his native village for last rites.

He is the 20th farmer to have died since the protest began at the border on February 13. In the past four days, three farmers, including a woman farmer, have died.

Surinderpal Singh (65), died while protesting against BJP candidate Preneet Kaur at Sehra village in Rajpura on May 4. Farmer Balwinder Kaur of Tarn Taran died during the ‘rail roko’ protest at the Shambhu railway station on Sunday.

Video goes viral

• Another video of the incident when farmer Surinderpal had died during scuffle with BJP leaders has gone viral. In the video, a youngster could be seen enter into a scuffle with farmers. The farmers were seen precariously close to Preneet
• Her media coordinator Pritpal Singh Baliawal said the BJP leader, who was heading towards the venue to address the party workers, was heckled by some persons

BJP candidate Preneet Kaur’s rally targeted again

BJP candidate Preneet Kaur again faced farmers’ ire during her visit to Nabha. She was going to address a rally when farmers tried to reach the venue, but the police stopped them.

The cops on Sunday booked Harwinder Singh Harpalpur and two others for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The case was registered on the complaint of victim Surinderpal’s nephew Resham Singh.

The farmer leaders have maintained that preparations are in full swing for a protest at Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala.

After talks with the police failed, the farmer union leaders had issued an ultimatum that if the police do not arrest Harpalpur in two days, they will start a protest outside former CM Capt Amarinder Singh’s Moti Bagh Palace.

In the meantime, protesting farmers sharing another video of the incident when farmer Surinderpal died during scuffle with BJP leaders. In the video, a youngster could be seen entering into a scuffle with farmers. The agitating farmers were seen approaching precariously close to BJP candidate Preneet Kaur.

The MP’s media coordinator, Pritpal Singh Baliawal, said the BJP leader, who was quietly heading towards the venue to address the party workers, was also heckled by a few individuals. “This was a painful incident in which the 80-year-old veteran politician, who had always fought for the rights of farmers, was being heckled. Perturbed by the incident, she cancelled her public address and decided to return,” said Baliawal.

Sources in the party said the registration of the police case against Harpalpur had a demoralising impact on the BJP cadre.

BJP president Sunil Jakhar-led delegation submitted a memorandum to the Election Office on Monday complaining that the state machinery had miserably failed to ensure the right to campaign by BJP candidates.

Without providing an equal platform to campaign, the election process would be rendered futile, Jakhar said. All BJP candidates faced protests and blockades by farmer unions, who had vowed not to allow the BJP candidates to campaign as the BJP-led Haryana government and Centre did not let farmers stage a protest in New Delhi.

The farmer protest at Shambhu and Khanauri border has completed 84 days, while it has been 21 days to the rail roko protest.

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