A 65-year-old farmer died by suicide after consuming a poisonous substance during a protest against Centre’s farm bills at Muktsar Sahib’s Badal village on Friday, September 18. The incident comes a day after the Lok Sabha cleared two contentious farm Bills.

Preetam Singh, a resident of Mansa’s Akanwali village, consumed Sulphas tablets – used as a rodenticide – during the six-day protest organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) near the residence of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

While Preetam was rushed to the hospital early in the morning after he vomited at the protest site, he died at a Bathinda hospital at 8 pm, reported The Indian Express.

‘He will be cremated after the administration releases compensation, agrees to a job for one family member and waives the family’s farm debt,’ Shingara Singh Maan, chief of BKU(Ugrahan)’s Bathinda unit, was quoted as saying by the media.

As per government policy, the farmer’s family is entitled to a compensation of Rs 3 lakh. The government also stated that it would clear Preetam’s hospital bills.

Preetam is the youngest among three brothers who jointly own 6.5 acres at Akanwali village. According to Joginder Pardhan, block chief of BKU (Ugrahan), farmland in Akanwali is sandy and faces water-logging. The land is jointly in the family’s name, who has a debt of around Rs 15 lakh from cooperative society, commission agents and banks.

‘He was upset over the farm Bills and would often discuss them. We had no idea he bought Sulphas tablets while leaving for the protest,’ said Preetam’s nephew, Binder Singh.

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