Sirsa farmer invites DC as ‘chief guest’ to mercy death protest over land dispute

A letter written by a farmer in Sirsa district inviting the Deputy Commissioner (DC) to attend his proposed “mercy death ceremony” as chief guest went viral on social media on Tuesday, spotlighting his long-standing land dispute and allegations of corruption in the revenue department.

The farmer, Om Prakash of Kaluana village in Dabwali tehsil, has accused revenue officials of harassment and irregularities in the registration of his family land. He has earlier written to the President of India seeking permission for euthanasia for himself and his family, stating that he has lost faith in the system.

In the letter addressed to the Sirsa DC, Om Prakash said he plans to organise an “ichchha mrityu” (voluntary death) programme and invited the officer to attend it as chief guest and pay tributes to his family.

“We should not be cremated because we have already been reduced to ashes in the fire of corruption,” he wrote. He also said that in his next life, he would ask his son not to join the police force.

The letter, widely shared on social media platforms on Tuesday, triggered debate over land disputes, alleged corruption and farmers’ grievances in the district.

Om Prakash alleged that a naib tehsildar, a kanungo and a patwari colluded to illegally register his family land after one of his five brothers sold his share. He claimed that the buyer later divided the land into three parts in a manner that left him without access to his fields or a water drainage channel.

He further alleged that he faced threats and pressure from the buyer and approached the Dabwali Superintendent of Police seeking registration of a criminal case.

According to Om Prakash, he submitted a complaint to the Sirsa DC on February 23, 2021, and later met the then Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh on June 30, 2021. A government inquiry subsequently ordered that a cheating case be registered against the buyer.

However, he claimed that no effective action was taken due to the alleged involvement of the naib tehsildar. While the official was later suspended, investigations against the kanungo and patwari are still continuing, he said.

Om Prakash said he would soon announce the date of the proposed “mercy death” event.

Meanwhile, Dabwali Superintendent of Police Nikita Khattar said the complainant is the father of a traffic police employee and the matter is therefore of concern to the police. She said the issue primarily falls under the revenue department and that Dabwali police are coordinating with revenue officials to resolve it. Khattar also said the family involved in the case is being counselled.