SC-appointed panel to visit Khanauri, meet Dallewal today

Dallewal, whose fast-unto-death entered its 41st day Sunday, has so far refused to meet with the panel. Only the second-rung leadership of his Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha attended a meeting with the panel in Chandigarh.

Monday’s meeting will come as the Punjab government has approached the Centre to hold talks with the protesting farmers, who have been seeking, among other things, a legal guarantee for the MSP for crops. On Saturday, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian sought the intervention of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and pressed him for a dialogue with the protesting farmers. Dallewal has already said he would call off his hunger strike if the Centre initiated a dialogue with the farmers.

Monday’s meeting will also come on a day the Supreme Court, which has put the onus of Dallewal’s health on the Punjab government, again hears the matter.

Meanwhile, doctors of an NGO attending to Dallewal said the 70-year-old’s health deteriorated after the Kisan Mahapanchayat Saturday.

According to the NGO, 5 Rivers Heart Association, after Dallewal returned from the venue to the trolley where he is camping 2km away, he was given water to drink but vomited it out.

“We had suggested he should not go to the stage as the weather was too harsh, but he insisted and spoke for about 8 minutes… after he came back, we gave him water and he vomited. The whole night, he could hardly sleep and even on Sunday morning his body was in unrest mode,” said the NGO’s coordinator Amritpal Singh.

Amritpal said while Dallewal’s reflexes had gone slow and the body extremely weak due to muscle loss, his other parameters such as blood pressure, peripheral oxygen level, and respiratory rate were within the normal range.

Dr Kuldeep Kaur Randhawa, a doctor from the NGO, said since Dallewal was not taking any food and drinking only water, “his system is shutting down”. “Inside the trolley, he feels dizzy and inactive most of the time as his body is weak and we need to shake him up when we go for his check-up in the morning and evening,” said Dr Randhawa.

The NGO is run by a US-based cardiologist Dr Swaimaan Singh who has been monitoring Dallewal’s health regularly. Dr Singh said, “Dallewalji is not taking any drip. But our doctors are taking care of him round-the-clock. The government doctors are only allowed to come once a day but under our team’s supervision.”

The Indian Express tried contacting Dr Girish Sahni, the medical superintendent of Rajindra Medical College and Hospital, Patiala, but he couldn’t be reached for comment.