An elderly farmer protesting at the Khanauri Border died due to a heart attack bringing the tally upto 5 deaths in the ongoing “Delhi Chalo” march. The deceased identified as Darshan Singh was a resident of Amargarh village in Bathinda district, and had been staying at the Khanauri border since February 13.
Darshan Singh had just married off his son just less than a month ago. The farmer's family owns nearly 8 acres of land and owes a debt of Rs 8 lakh. The farmer organization BKU Ekta Sidhupur, sharing their condolences, has demanded compensation for the bereaved family. The organization's district Bathinda general secretary, Resham Singh, said that the government must concede to demands to prevent more farmers from dying at borders.
This is the 3rd death at the protest due to heart attack. Earlier, Gyan Singh of Gurdaspur district, who was protesting at the Shambhu barrier on the Punjab-Haryana border, died on Friday due to a heart attack. This morning, DSP Dilpreet Singh had died of a heart attack while he was exercising this morning. He had been stationed at the Khanauri Border.
According to reports, Darshan Singh was under a debt of 8 lakhs and owned 8 acres of land. The young farmer who died from head injury, Shubhkaran Singh’s family was under a debt of 18 lakhs. One of the chief demands of the farmers is a loan waiver from the government. However, Punjab CM had announced 1 crore compensation for Shubhkaran’s family.
Darshan Singh was survived by his wife Paramjit Kaur, a daughter, and a 24-year-old son who was married only 20 days ago.