Won’t cremate mishap victims till kin get aid: Farmers

Farmers today refused to perform the last rites of the three women farmers who were killed in an accident while on way to Tohana (Haryana) for participating in a “kisan mahapanchayat” on January 4. They said the last rites of the deceased would be performed only after the affected families were provided compensation by the government.

They staged a protest near the Deputy Commissioner’s office for the second consecutive day today. They also organised a protest march from the DC office to the local bus stand. Those killed in the accident were members of the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan).

During the protest, farmers raised slogans against the state government and the administration. They declared that the sit-in would continue until compensation was provided to the injured and the families of the deceased.

Shingara Singh Mann, district president of the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan), said CM Bhagwant Mann was unwilling to provide compensation to the families of the three women farmers who lost their lives in the accident. He criticised the government saying it had once claimed that under their rule, no one would need to protest for their rights, but now even small demands require big demonstrations.

He emphasised that their struggle would continue as long as their demands were not met. Their demands included Rs10 lakh compensation, debt waiver and government jobs for the family members of the deceased. They were also seeking Rs 5 lakh compensation for each injured.

Speakers also expressed concern over the deteriorating health of Jagjit Singh Dallewal and urged the Centre to address the farmers’ demands.