The body of a 45-year-old farmer was found hanging from a tree near a shopping mall at the farmers’ protest site at Singhu border on Wednesday morning. The police said preliminary reports suggest that the farmer had allegedly committed suicide, adding that further investigation into the incident is underway.
The police said the deceased has been identified as Gurpreet Singh from village Roorkee, Amloh tehsil in Fatehgarh Sahib district. He was associated with Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta Sidhupur.
“As per preliminary information, it appears to be a case of suicide. A probe has been initiated,” The Indian Express quoted Virender Singh, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), law and order, Sonipat as saying.
Gurjinder Singh, district convener, Fathehgarh Sahib, BKU Ekta Sidhupur, said that he received information of the incident around 6 am and rushed the victim to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
“He had returned to the Singhu border site after visiting his village on Monday. In his conversation with farmers over the past two days, he had mentioned that he was upset regarding the impasse over repeal of farm laws and that despite farmers protesting for over a year, the government had not been listening to the demands of farmers,” Singh was quoted as saying.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal, BKU Ekta Sidhupur, Punjab State President, said that the victim had been associated with their union since the agitation began. “He was regular at volunteering at morcha meetings and was part of protests in the village. He had been camping at the Singhu border since last year. He owned small amount of land and to make ends meet, he used to drive a school van before Covid-19 hit. This is a very unfortunate incident. The government should repeal the black laws immediately.”