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Punjab farmer ends life during protest against new farm Bills

September 19, 2020 12:44 IST

A 70-year-old farmer has died after consuming some poisonous substance during a protest against the new farm Bills in Muktsar district of Punjab, police said on Saturday.

 

IMAGE: Farmers raise slogans during an ongoing protest outside the residence of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal against three agriculture-related bills, at Badal village in Sri Muktsar Sahib, on Friday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Pritam Singh, a resident of Akkanwali village of Mansa district, consumed the poisonous substance Friday morning and died at a hospital later in the day, they said.

Singh had been participating in the protest since September 15 which is being organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) at Badal village, the native of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The reason behind the farmer taking the extreme step is still not known, said the police.

The farmers' body, however, claimed that he was under debt.

BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh demanded the administration give a compensation to the family of the deceased.

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