Punjab Farmer, 45, Dies By Suicide At Delhi Protest Site, Say Police

A 45-year-old Punjab farmer has died by suicide at one of the protest sites in Delhi, where farmers have been camping since last November, said the police today.

The farmer from Fatehgarh Sahib district has been identified as Gurpreet Singh and had been camping at the Kundli-Singhu border near Delhi.

"Gurpreet had been staying alone in a tractor-trolley near Sushant City for the past few days. The body was sent to the civil hospital at Sonipat for post-mortem examination. The police are recording statements of eyewitnesses," said a spokesman of Kundli police.

"Reason of death not known, but we've been told that he was mentally disturbed. Dead body brought to Civil Hospital," said Pradeep Kumar, Investigating officer, Kundali Police Station. The family has been informed and will be arriving soon, Mr Kumar added.  

A fellow farmer called it "political murder" and said this will only galvanise the farmers' unity and movement.  

"He died by suicide. We found his dead body. We say the stubborn attitude of the government, the abandonment of talks is the reason that another farmer has died by suicide. Instead of helping us, the government is trying to break up farmers' protest which is against democratic norms," said Ujagar Singh, a farmer at the same protest site.

"This is political murder. The government should tell us how many lives it wants. The farmers have been on the road for a a year. Our andolan (agitation) will be strengthened further; we will not lose hope," he said.