Punjab Lawyer Ends Life In Support Of Farmers Protests

Advocate Amarjit Singh of Jalalabad Bar Association of Punjab was taken to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak where doctors declared him dead on arrival, reported the PTI.

In a suicide note purportedly left by Singh, titled "Letter to Modi, the Dictator", he said that he was sacrificing his life in support of the farmers' agitation against the Centre's new farm laws so that the government is compelled to listen to the voice of the people.

"The General Public of India has given you absolute majority, power and faith for saving and prosper their life. After independence the common people expected better future in you as Prime Minister.

The police said they are verifying the authenticity of the suicide note, dated December 18.

"We have informed the relatives of the deceased and once they reach here their statements will be recorded and further proceedings will be conducted," a police officer from Haryana''s Jhajjar district said, adding that they were informed about the suicide by the hospital authorities, reported the PTI.

Earlier, at least two suicides have been linked to the farmers'' stir, underway at various border points of Delhi for over a month now.

A Sikh preacher, Sant Ram Singh, allegedly committing suicide near the Singhu border protest site earlier this month claiming that he was "unable to bear the pain of the farmers".

A 22-year-old farmer had allegedly committed suicide in Punjab''s Bathinda after returning from a protest site near the Delhi border.

A week ago, a 65-year-old farmer from Punjab had attempted suicide by consuming some poisonous substance near the Singhu border.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some other states have been protesting at various border points of Delhi against the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

The Supreme Court is considering a batch of petitions challenging the farm laws and another batch of petitions seeking removal of protesters from Delhi borders. On December 17, a bench headed by CJI SA Bobde stated that the farmers have the right to continue the protest so long as it remained peaceful and added that police cannot instigate violence. The bench also orally observed that it was considering to set up an independent committee to hold negotiations between the farmers and the Centre and asked the Attorney General if the Government can think of withholding the implementation of the laws to facilitate the talks.

(With PTI inputs)