Farmer leader Dallewal discharged from hospital, to continue indefinite fast from home
Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been fasting for several months, was discharged from Park Hospital in Patiala on Thursday.
The farm leader will head to his hometown, Dallewal village in Faridkot, after more than four months, where he will address a district-level Kisan Mahapanchayat.
Kaka Singh Kotda, general secretary of BKU Sidhupur, confirmed that Dallewal was discharged on Thursday morning. He also emphasised that Dallewal remains on his hunger strike, consuming only water and receiving minimal medical assistance.
In a media interaction after his discharge, Dallewal reiterated that he would not end his fast until the farmers' demands are met, particularly the legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).
He also announced that farmer congregations would be held during April and May to regroup the farming community, although he did not rule out the possibility of another large-scale protest (morcha).
Dallewal was initially detained by Punjab Police and moved between two hospitals in Jalandhar before being rushed to Park Hospital in Patiala on March 24.
The tensions between the state government and the protesting farmers continue to escalate as conflicting reports have emerged about the status of Dallewal’s health and fasting. The state government informed the Supreme Court that Dallewal ended his 123-day-long hunger strike on March 29, but the Sanyukit Kisan Morcha (SKM Non-Political) strongly refuted this statement.
According to SKM leaders, Dallewal had been abstaining from water since March 19 in protest against the arrest of fellow farmer leaders and the heavy-handed police crackdown at the Shambhu and Khanauri morchas.
Farmer leader Sukhjit Singh Hardo Jhande accused the government of spreading misinformation to mislead the public and judiciary.
“We will present the facts in court. After the eviction and arrest of farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri borders on March 19, Dallewal stopped taking water and medical assistance. It was only after the release of all the arrested farmers that Dallewal began drinking water again and agreed to take medical assistance on March 28.”
Hardo Jhande also clarified that Dallewal began his hunger strike on November 26, initially consuming only water. On January 18, after much persuasion and a proposal from the Central Government for talks, Dallewal agreed to receive medical assistance.
Dallewal resumed drinking water after receiving it from former DIG Narinder Bhargav and ADGP Jaskaran Singh, both appointed as government interlocutors. This marked the end of his nine-day water abstinence.
