The farmers’ protest which is already into its Day 22 now turned tragic on Wednesday (December 16) night as a one of the farmes from Punjab allegedly due to the biting cold that Delhi is facing currently. The 37-year-old man, a father of three, was found dead at a site where thousands of farmers have been protesting against the recently formed farm laws.
The farmer had three children of ages 10, 12 and 14, according to reports that suggested he died of the freezing cold.
Reports of the death emerged hours after a Sikh priest died by suicide near the Delhi-Haryana border. Baba Ram Singh, a priest from a Gurdwara in Haryana, had strongly supported the protests and left a note saying he was ‘angry and pained’ at the government’s injustice.
More than 20 protesters have died since the agitation began in November-end, farmer groups claim. Many are believed to have suffered because of the dropping temperatures around the National Capital Region due to a cold wave sweeping across north India.
Several volunteers have been visiting the farmers, who have occupied various points on highways near Delhi, with blankets and heaters. Protesters are also seen lighting fires to keep warm, determined to stay for the long haul.
"We are fighting the cold weather and we will keep fighting the cold, till our demands are met. We will not budge even if it rains," a farmer was quoted as saying by NDTV, at the main protest site at Singhu border.
Temperatures have dipped to around five degrees or less in Delhi and its neighbourhood over the past few days. Day temperatures have also dropped more than four degrees below normal.
"We do not feel the cold. We will stay here until our demands are met," said a group of farmers told NDTV.
The farmers have been protesting since November-end against three new laws that they fear will drastically cut their earnings from crops, taking away the safety of a guaranteed minimum prices, and enable corporates to manipulate the market.
The Supreme Court, hearing various petitions, on Wednesday told the government that its negotiations with the farmers had not worked and a solution must be found before it became a national issue. The court suggested a panel including representatives from the government and farmers.
