A 63-year-old farmer who was participating in the protests at the Shambhu border close to Haryana’s Ambala passed away on 16 February due to heart attack, officials said as reported by news agency PTI.
The farmer identified as Gian Singh complained of chest pain in the morning and was taken to the Civil Hospital in Punjab’s Rajpura.
As per officials, from Civil Hospital, he was then rushed to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, where doctors declared him brought dead. Singh hailed from Punjab’s Gurdaspur district had come to the Shambhu border two days ago to participate in the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had given a call for the march. Farmers began the march on 13 February and have been camping at Punjab and Haryana’s Shambhu and Khanauri borders ever since. Today, Security forces fire tear gas shells to disperse protesting farmers at Punjab-Haryana Shambhu Border.
Framers’ unions have called for a ‘Bharat bandh’ today. Bharat Kisan Union (BKU) leader Pawan Khatana said farmers have been asked to strike their work for one day in order to press the government for demands aimed at pressing the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The farmers are pushing for the legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. The farmers are also demanding justice for victims of the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri.
The farmers have also urged to scrap the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020. Also, an appeal to provide 200 days of employment per year and a daily wage of ₹700 under the MGNREGA, linking it with farming, has also been made by the farmers
Meanwhile, three Union ministers held talks with the leaders of protesting farmer unions in Chandigarh on 15 February for more than five hours. As the third meeting between Union Ministers and the farmer leaders ended, no common ground was seen in sight and the next round of talks will now take place on 18 February. After the meeting concluded, Union Minister Arjun Munda said that the third round of talks with the leaders of the protesting farmers was, however, “positive”. “Today, a very positive discussion happened between the government and the farmers’ unions. Focusing on the topics highlighted by the farmers’ union, we have decided that the next meeting will take place on Sunday at 6 pm… We all will find a solution peacefully…,” Munda said.
(With PTI inputs)
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Published: 16 Feb 2024, 02:34 PM IST