Help pours in for Sultanpur Lodhi teenaged farmer Gurjot, MP Sahney to bear education expenses

Help poured in for 15-year-old farmer Gurjot Singh from various quarters on Saturday amid the struggle to survive after his standing crop on two acres was destroyed by the swollen Beas.

The plight of Gurjot, a resident of Sultanpur Lodhi’s Baupur Jadid, was highlighted by The Tribune.

According to Gurjot’s mother Harpreet Kaur, she had been receiving numerous calls from people since morning. “I am overwhelmed by the kindness and support,” she said.

Gurjot was just 13 when his debt-ridden father Gurjant Singh — also a small farmer — died by suicide.

Unable to bear the loss of paddy crop on his four acres during the 2023 floods, Gurjant had taken poison. He had tried everything — farming and daily wage labour — but the pressure proved too much.

After his father’s death, Gurjot began working with his paternal uncle in the fields, determined to restore what little they had been left with. But this year, the tragedy struck again.

A student of Class XI at a government school now, Gurjot is pursuing humanities. His dream is to become a police officer.

Among those who offered support was AAP Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, who announced to bear education expenses of Gurjot and his sister. “All school and college fee will be borne by us,” he said. Sahney assured that his team, along with a civil engineer, would visit his home on Monday to assess the structural damage. “We will rebuild their house based on the engineer’s recommendations,” he added.