Bathinda farmer dies by suicide at dharna site, was under stress over ‘kurki’ notice

Shingara Singh Mann, vice president of the farm body, said Balwinder had no pending compensation, but he had been “protesting in support of Muktsar farmers whose compensation worth Rs 55 crore” is pending.

The union’s Sangat block in charge, Kulwant Rai Sharma, however, added that the farmer had a dispute over an outstanding loan against a landlord at his village. “The matter was resolved eight years ago when Balwinder paid Rs 8 lakh to the landlord. Later, however, the landlord claimed that another Rs 1.10 lakh was outstanding. He also started demanding over Rs 4 lakh as interest on the loan amount. The union held a meeting with the landlord on Sunday and asked him to settle the matter by taking Rs 2 lakh, but he disagreed and demanded the interest as well. He had earlier filed a case in the court and kurki order of Balwinder’s land had been issued for September 3.

He was under stress and perhaps took the extreme step due to that,” said Kulwant Rai Sharma.

Balwinder, who is survived by two sons and a daughter, owns four acres of land. “We demand that the landlord be booked for abetment to suicide, the kurki orders be cancelled and his loan waived off,” said Lachhman Singh Sewewala, general secretary, PKMU. The PKMU also demanded job for one family member of Balwinder and a compensation of Rs 5 lakh.

The farmer’s family is in shock with Gurtej Singh, the elder son of Balwinder, saying that his father gave no indication that he would take the extreme step.

Following the incident, farmers and mazdoors gheraoed the Muktsar DC’s office due to which the employees were not able to move out. Late in the evening DC Vineet Kumar addressed the protestors following which the gherao was lifted. The dharna, however, continues.

Earlier, Ajaypal Ghudda, another member of BKU Ugrahan, alleged that the despite union leaders making several appeals over microphone seeking help from the district administration to take Balwinder, no help came. “We took him in our vehicle to civil hospital from where he was referred to Faridkot medical college. He died on the way,” said Ghudda

The DC, however, said that the local tehsildaar had immediately reached the spot, but “the farmers themselves took the patient” to the hospital. “He was given first aid at civil hospital and then referred to Faridkot medical college, but died on way,” said the DC.

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Dr Ranju Singla, civil surgeon, Muktsar, said, “We provided the best possible treatment, but as there is no medical specialist doctor at the civil hospital, the patient was referred to Faridkot medical college”.

It was learnt the the no specialist doctor has been posted at the Muktsar civil hopsital for the last five years.

The post-mortem examination will be conducted on Tuesday.