Activist burnt alive as car catches fire

Tribune News Service

Barnala, November 29

A Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) activist, who was participating in the “Delhi Chalo” march, was burnt alive as the car in which he was sleeping caught fire on Saturday night near the Bahadurgarh- Delhi border. BKU Ugrahan leaders have demanded a compensation of Rs 20 lakh and a government job for the family of deceased Janak Raj. They said they wouldn’t cremate him until their demands were accepted.

Raj’s family in Dhanaula has been in shock since they received the information. “Our family has no land, but my father has been part of the protest since it began. He performed sewa at the toll plaza. Two days ago, he left for New Delhi with a tractor mechanic to assist him in repairing farmers’ vehicles,” Sahil Garg, son of Raj, said.

Sahil is B.Ed and earned a living by tutoring, while his father ran a cycle repair shop in Dhanaula city. A BKU (Ugrahan) leader, Gagandeep Singh, said the cremation would not be done without the acceptance of their demands. Meanwhile, BKU president Joginder Singh Ugrahan has demanded a probe into the incident.