66-Year-Old Farmer Dies At Land Protest Over New Chhattisgarh Capital

A 66-year-old man died on Friday at a protest by farmers affected by the land acquisition for the new capital city of Chhattisgarh, officials said. The cause of the death of farmer Siyaram Patel, however, was not yet clear, they added.

Locals said he fell unconscious during the sit-in on the road and died later because of what appeared to be a heart attack.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has condoled the death of the farmer and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for his family.

Farmers from 27 villages, which fall in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar in Raipur district, have been protesting under the banner of Nayi Rajdhani Priyojna Prabhavit Kisan Kalyan Samiti (NRPPKKS) since January with various demands, including better rehabilitation and compensation.

The state government had last month accepted six out of eight demands of the protesters. Legal advice is being sought on the other two, an official said.

The farmers, who have been agitating in front of the office of Nava Raipur Atal Nagar Vikas Pradhikaran (NRANVP), had taken out a foot march to submit applications about their demands during the day, a government official said.

"As per prior discussion with farmers, they were stopped at a pre-decided place where barricading was done by police and their applications were being accepted village-wise by setting up counters. Patel, from Barauda village, fainted and fell on the ground near the counter and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital," senior police officer in Raipur, Prashant Agrawal, told news agency PTI.

Mr Patel's son Hiralal was immediately informed and the body was sent to Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital Raipur for post mortem, he added.

"His son has said Patel was on medication for high blood pressure. However, we will know the exact cause after we get the post mortem report," he said.

A farmer from Baroda village in Nava Raipur area whose land was also taken by the Naya Raipur Development Authority, Siyaram Patel was an active member of the protests since January, NRPPKKS spokesperson Girdhar Patel said.

(With inputs from PTI)