Farmer, son take poison; note ‘blames’ agri laws

Hoshiarpur, February 20

An indebted farmer and his son allegedly consumed some poisonous substance at Mohddipur village of Dasuya subdivision late last night. The bodies of Jagtar Singh (70) and his son Kirpal Singh (45) were found lying inside their house.

The police recovered two notes, one purportedly penned by Jagtar Singh and the other by his son. Jagtar’s note reads: “I am taking my life over harassment due to an outstanding loan. The Congress government had promised debt waiver, but to no avail. Secondly, the Modi government is not repealing the farm laws. It is upsetting to see the farmers’ plight.”

The other note too mentions similar reasons. In the end it reads: “Kisanon ki suno Modi sarkar, sirf apne mann ki baat na karo”.

Jagtar’s brother Sukhvinder Bajwa said: “My brother was hoping that the Punjab Government would waive his loan. Both had earlier gone to take part in the agitation in Delhi.” Navjot Mahal, SSP, said: “We have taken the notes into our possession and are verifying the facts.” On alleged delay in debt waiver, Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyat said: “I have asked the SDM concerned to probe the matter. We will also check facts regarding their debt waiver application and eligibility.” — OC