Another death: 70-yr-old Punjab farmer dies of Pneumonia after spending a month at Tikri

New Delhi, Dec 30: A 70-year-old farmer from Punjab's Dharampura village in Mansa district died of pneumonia on Tuesday after spending over four weeks at Delhi's Tikri border.

Piara Singh, a marginal farmer from village Dharampura of Mansa district, had come back via train as he had not been feeling well for a few days.

Singh was agitating along with thousands of other farmers against the Centre's three agri laws.

On reaching Mansa, Piara Singh was first admitted to a local hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Sangrur where he died during treatment, his elder brother Wasaba Singh, who is also part of the protests at Delhi, told the Indian Express.

Ever since the protests against the three farm laws began mid-September, more than 50 people, including farmers and farm labourers, have died due to illness and accidents, with at least two of them dying by suicide.

According to Indian Express report, Singh was a member of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Dakaunda) and had joined the farmers' protests from the very first day on November 26 along with his tractor-trolley during the Delhi Chalo call by the farmers' unions. In between he went back to his village on December 12 and later returned to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) stage at Tikri border on December 15. His tractor-trolley is still parked at Tikri.

Following his death, the BKU (Dakaunda) has demanded a government job for a family member and Rs 10-lakh compensation from the Centre. Another farmer from his village, Gurtej Singh said Piara Singh's wife had died about five years ago and he had been living with his four sons. He owned five-and-a-half acres of land.

Stating that Piara Singh is the first from the village to have died because of the protests, Gurtej said, "He was the chief sewadaar at village gurdwara and used to give the wake up call through shrine's loudspeaker at 4 am. After protests against the laws began, he used to make announcements seeking donations and ration for the protesters. He used to motivate people to join the struggle."