Sangrur protester dies at Tikri border

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, February 7

A farmer, Lakha Singh, died today in the wee hours at the Tikri border. The son of freedom fighter Baza Singh, 65-year-old Lakha Singh always told his fellowmen that he would prefer to die protesting rather than go back without getting the farm laws repealed.

He along with other farmers, under the banner of the BKU (Rajewal), had been at the Tikri border since the protest began. He had visited his house just once to attend a religious function related to the death of his niece at his Kalaudi village.

“My uncle was highly influenced by the ideology of my grandfather Baza Singh, who was a freedom fighter. He had been participating in protests at various places. He was adamant that he would only return from Tikri once the farm laws are repealed,” said Mandeep Singh, nephew of the deceased farmer.

On January 12, Lakha Singh was quoted as saying in The Tribune at Tikri that he had told his family not to wait for him as he would only come back after the farmers’ demands were met. “After he did not wake up in the morning, we took him to a Bahadurgarh hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. We are waiting for the elder son of the deceased farmer,” Sarvjit Singh, a protester, said from Tikri.

BKU (Rajewal) district president Gurmeet Singh Kapial said they would take up the case of deceased Lakha Singh with the Punjab Government for financial compensation to his family.

“He always remained in high spirits despite being old. He kept motivating others to remain calm during protests,” said Kapial.

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