Farmers' protests | Another farmer from Haryana dies by suicide near Tikri border

The farmer, who supported the agitation against Centre’s new farm laws, has purportedly left a suicide note, police said

Thousands of farmers have been protesting since November last year at Delhi borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Centre’s farm laws. File

A 49-year-old farmer from Haryana’s Hisar district on March 7 allegedly hanged himself from a tree, some 7 km from the Tikri border protest site, police said.

“The victim, Rajbir, hailed from a village in Hisar district. He was found hanging from a tree,” Bahadurgarh City police station SHO, Vijay Kumar said over the phone.

His body was found hanging by some farmers who informed the police.

In a note purportedly left behind by Rajbir, it is mentioned that the three farm laws were responsible for him to take the extreme step. He also said that the Centre should fulfil his last wish by repealing the legislations, police said.

Last month, a farmer from Jind in Haryana who was also supporting the agitation against the Centre’s farm laws had allegedly hanged himself from a tree, merely 2 km from the Tikri border protest site.

Earlier, another farmer from Haryana had allegedly consumed a poisonous substance at the Tikri border. He had died during treatment at a Delhi hospital later.

In December last, a lawyer from Punjab had allegedly killed himself by consuming poison a few kilometres away from the protest site at the Tikri border.

Earlier, Sikh preacher Sant Ram Singh had also allegedly died by suicide near the Singhu border protest site, claiming that he was “unable to bear the pain of the farmers”.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting since November last year at Delhi borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

However, the Centre has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling any of the following numbers: