Chandigarh, June 16 (IANS) Perturbed over the fate of the agitation of farmers against three contentious farm laws, a 55-year-old marginal farmer on Wednesday allegedly committed suicide by consuming poisonous substance at a protest site in Jind district of Haryana.
The victim, Zile Singh, had been actively involved in serving food to farmers at the protest site on the Khatkar toll plaza for several months.
He is survived by his wife and three children.
Farmers at the protest site told the police that Zile Singh was under depression for the past few days over the fate of the agitation.
District BKU leader Azad Singh said Zile Singh was alone at the protest site when he committed the suicide at night.
In the morning when farmers arrived at the protest site they found him lying on the bed in an unconscious condition. A bottle of poison was recovered from there, he added.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here on Thursday announced immediate distribution of 10 lakh packets of dry ration to daily wagers and unorganised labourers to help them during the curfew because of the COVID-19 crisis.
Urging the police personnel to exercise maximum restraint in the difficult situation, the Chief Minister asked them to find more compassionate ways of handling curfew violations, especially in cases of individuals found moving out for essentials.
A 63-year-old woman from Kangra who failed to disclose her travel history following her return from Dubai and was later tested positive for COVID-19 has been booked under Section 270 of the IPC, which carries a maximum imprisonment of upto two years.
In an unprecedented incident, a Mumbai man allegedly killed his younger brother for trying to step out of home during the ongoing 21-day lockdown period, police said here on Thursday.
"I hereby donate an amount of Rs 5,00,000/- each (Rs five lakhs) towards the "Chief Ministers Relief Fund" for the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to fight against COVID-19," she tweeted.
