Deadlock on, yet another bid to convince fasting Dallewal fails

Despite a direction by the Supreme Court to provide medical aid to fasting farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose indefinite fast entered the 37th day on Wednesday, the stalemate between the state government and farm leaders continues.

Dallewal could not be convinced to take medical aid so far. The SC had directed the Punjab Chief Secretary and the DGP to provide medical aid to Dallewal and get him admitted to a hospital. Since then, retired ADGP Jaskaran Singh has met Dallewal thrice to convince him to take medical aid, but to no avail.

Keeping in view the hearing in the SC on Thursday when the state government has to file a reply whether it succeeded in providing medical aid to Dallewal or not, retired ADGP Jaskaran Singh and Patiala Range DIG Mandip Singh Sidhu met farmer leaders, including Kaka Singh Kotra, Abhimanyu Kohar and Sukhjit Singh Hardo Jhande, at the Khanauri on Wednesday.

After the meeting, farm leader Lakhwinder Singh Aulakh told The Tribune that the retired ADGP and the DIG, Patiala Range, had come with a proposal that the state government would initiate measures to start talks with the Centre and that Dallewal should end his fast.

A meeting of the morcha would be held tomorrow to discuss the proposal after which a decision would be taken in that regard. With regard to the reply to be filed by the Punjab Government in the Supreme Court tomorrow, he said it was up to the government.

Meanwhile, thousands of youths have been gathering at Khanauri to foil any attempt by the government to remove Dallewal from the protest site. The state government, however, does not want to annoy the farming community.

Meanwhile, Punjabi singer Babbu Mann, general secretary of the Jannayak Janta Party Digvijay Chautala and Samajwadi Party’s MP from Lakhimpur Khiri Utkarsh Verma visited Khanauri to enquire about the well-being of Dallewal on Wednesday