Farmer kills self at dharna against stubble fire FIRs

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Jaito (Faridkot), December 7

A farmer who had been on a protest dharna along with others in Jaito demanding cancellation of FIRs in stubble burning cases allegedly committed suicide by consuming some pesticide today.

The deceased, Jagseer Singh (52) was a resident of Kotra Korianwala village in Bathinda. He owned 3 acres of land and was under a debt of about Rs 10 lakh. He had joined the BKU-Sidhupur group’s dharna going on for over a month at the Tehsil Complex here on Thursday, said Jagjeet Singh Dallewal, state president of the union. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.

The protesting farmers are demanding the cancellation of FIRs, removal of red entries in their revenue record for burning stubble and waiver of fines imposed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board.

Sticking to their demands, the farmers shifted their protest dharna from Tehsil Complex to the local civil hospital and after the death of Jagseer Singh today. They announced that they would not allow the postmortem of the deceased till their demands were met and the victim’s family was adequately compensated.

It is alleged that Jagseer Singh ended his life by consuming some pesticide which he had bought from a shop situated close to the dharna site. He reportedly drank the poisonous chemical and walked to the site where he collapsed.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner and Faridkot SP reached the civil hospital and tried to prevail upon the protesting farmers, but the latter remained adamant on their demands.

Earlier, the protesters alleged that the state government had failed to provide any permanent solution to the problem of stubble burning. “Had it been the time of any election, no one would have dared to lodge a single case against any farmer in the matter,” claimed a farm union leader.

Month-long protest

• Jagseer Singh (52) was a resident of Kotra Korianwala village in Bathinda. He had joined the BKU-Sidhupur group’s dharna which was going on for over a month 
• The demands were cancellation of FIRs, removal of red entries in their revenue record for burning stubble and waiver of fines imposed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board