A 37-year-old, Punjab farmer protesting near the Delhi-Haryana border against the three farm laws died early this morning, allegedly because of the harsh cold. The man was found dead at a place where thousands of farmers have been protesting for 22 days against central agriculture laws.
According to reports, the deceased had three children of ages 10, 12 and 14 and died of freezing cold.
Reports of the farmer’s death appeared just hours after Baba Ram Singh, a priest from a Gurdwara in Haryana, died by suicide at the Delhi-Haryana border leaving a note saying he was pained by the government’s injustice.
Farmers groups claim that by far more than 20 protesters have died since the agitation began in late November, which they believe happened because of rising winter coldness in north India. Many volunteers and organisations have been visiting the farmers at various protesting points and offering them with blankets and heaters.
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A farmer protesting at the Singhu border, this morning said, "We are fighting the cold weather and we will keep fighting the cold, till our demands are met. We will not budge even if it rains.” Another group of farmers said, "We do not feel the cold. We will stay here until our demands are met.”
In the past few days, temperatures in Delhi and its neighbourhood have dropped to around five degrees or less. Day temperatures have also dropped more than four degrees below normal.