THE NEWS FREEDOM
CHANDIGARH, FEBRUARY 23
Darshan Singh (62), a farmer from Bathinda district, passed away after falling unconscious at the Khanauri border protest site on Thursday night. Initially treated at the Community Health Centre, he was later transferred to Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, where he was pronounced dead. The exact cause of his death will be determined after the post-mortem examination.
According to Sarwan Singh Pandher, the general secretary of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Darshan Singh suffered a cardiac arrest, becoming the fourth casualty of the ongoing farmers’ agitation at the Khanauri border.
In a related development regarding the death of farmer Shubhkaran Singh, farmer leaders rejected the government’s offer of Rs 1 crore compensation and demanded that an FIR be filed against the police officers responsible for his shooting. Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that they would not allow the post-mortem until their demand for justice against the Haryana police officers is met.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a job for Shubhkaran Singh’s sister. Mann expressed solidarity with the grieving family, assuring them of the state government’s unwavering support during this difficult time.
Besides it, in Hisar district of Haryana a confrontation between farm activists and police escalated into violence on Friday, resulting in injuries to numerous individuals from both sides. The police resorted to lathi charges in an attempt to disperse the protesting farmers at Kheri Chopta. The clash persisted for approximately two hours, during which several farmers and police officers sustained injuries. Additionally, vehicles belonging to both farmers and law enforcement were damaged amid the confrontation.
In a bid to compel the Centre to meet their demands, which include a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, farmers have been staging protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13. They have parked their tractor-trolleys, mini-vans, and pickup trucks at these locations as part of their ongoing demonstration.