45-year-old Punjab farmer dies by suicide near Singhu border

Identified as Gurpreet Singh, he was a part of the protest against the Centre's farm laws

Farmers raise slogans during their ongoing agitation against Centre's farm reform laws, at Singhu border in New Delhi, Thursday, February 4, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

A 45-year-old farmer from Punjab, who was a part of the protest against the Centre's farm laws, allegedly hanged himself from a tree near the Singhu border, police said on Wednesday.

Identified as Gurpreet Singh, the victim was a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib district, they said.

The body has been sent to a local hospital in Sonipat for a post-mortem examination, an official of the Kundli police station said.

Also read: Police remove barricades from protest sites; farmers assert agitation to continue

Hundreds of farmers have been camping at Delhi borders since November 2020 with the demand that the government repeal the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

They are also demanding a new law to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The Centre, which held 11 rounds of formal dialogue with farmers, has maintained that the new laws are pro-farmer, while protesters claim they would be left at the mercy of corporations because of the legislations.

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