Sangrur: Five days on, body of protesting farmer yet to be cremated

Sushil Goyal

Sangrur, April 16

Even after five days, no post-mortem examination on the body of 52-year-old farmer Karamjit Singh, a resident of Sangatpura village (Lehra), could be conducted at Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala.

Seeks Rs 10L, govt job

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• Farmers’ union seek Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased, waiving of loan of the family and a government job to a family member.

Talks between the Lehra administration and leaders of the BKU (Ugrahan) remained inconclusive today as well. Karamjit Singh had died on April 11 at Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, following a heart attack at a protest dharna organised by the BKU (Ugrahan) on April 11 against private silos at Sunam.

Besides, the farmers’ union have been holding a ‘pucca morcha’ since April 12 outside the Lehra SDM’s office, seeking Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased farmer, waiving of entire loan of the family and a government job to a family member.

Meanwhile, the body of farmer Karamjit Singh has been lying at the mortuary of Government Rajindra Hospital as the BKU (Ugrahan) has announced that it would not cremate the body until the Punjab Government and district administration fulfilled all three demands.

District vice-president of BKU (Ugrahan) Bahal Singh Dhindsa told this reporter that a meeting of the union leaders and officers of the administration, including Lehra SDM, was held at the Police Lines, Sangrur, today to resolve the issue. But the officers told them that the administration could not give Rs 10 lakh as compensation and fulfil other demands due to implementation of the model code of conduct. Thus, their talks with the administration remained inconclusive, he added.

Bahadur Singh Bhutal, general secretary of Lehra block of BKU (Ugrahan), said if the state government does not pay heed to our demands, the union would be compelled to intensify its agitation to seek justice for Karamjit Singh, he added.