Farmers’ protests: Fazilka lawyer dies after drinking ‘poison’
A lawyer from Fazilka died after allegedly consuming some poisonous substance at the Tikri border, a site of the ongoing farmers’ protests, sources said on Sunday—at least the third such incident to be reported in the last two weeks.
Sources said the victim, Amarjit Singh from Jalalabad, was immediately taken to Rohtak’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, where he died.
A purported suicide note found in his pocket was addressed to “Modi, The Dictator”. The note said he was offering himself as “sacrifice” in support of the protests. The typewritten letter is dated December 18 and reportedly bears the advocate’s signature.
“The General Public of India has given you absolute majority, power and faith for saving and prospering their life,” the letter read. “But with great sorrow and pains, I have to write that you have become the Prime Minister of special groups like Ambani and Adani etc. The common people like farmers and labourers are feeling defrauded by your three agriculture black bills and the worst life is inevitable. The public is on tracks (sic) and roads not for votes but for the livelihood of their families and generations. In order to feed some capitalists you have destroyed the common people and agriculture which is the backbone of India.”
“Kindly do not snatch the bread and butter (Roti) of farmers, labourers and common people for a few capitalists and do not compel them to eat sulphos (read: celphos, a fumigant). Socially you have betrayed the public and politically you have betrayed your associate parties like SAD.”
“Listen, the voice of the people is the voice of God,” the letter said. “It is said that you wish for sacrifices like Godhra and I also offer my sacrifice in sport (support) of this wordwide agigation for the shaking of your deaf and dumb conscious (conscience),” the letter said.
Jaspreet Singh, a protesting farmer from Jalalabad, said Amarjit Singh had been staying at a camp in his neighbourhood near Pakoda Chowk in Bahadurgarh for a fortnight before he allegedly took the extreme step.
“In the morning, a farmer informed me over the phone that Amarjit had consumed some poisonous substance. We rushed him to Civil Hospital in Bahadurgarh from where Amarjit was referred to PGIMS Rohtak following his critical condition where he succumbed,” said Singh.
Jhajjar’s Civil Surgeon Dr Sanjay Dahiya said Amarjeet Singh was brought to the civil hospital in Bahadurgarh in the morning, and was then taken to PGMIS in critical condition.
