Farmer protester from Punjab dies of biting Delhi cold

A day after a Sikh cleric shot himself alleging injustice by the government against the protesting farmers at Delhi, a farmer protester died of cold early on Thursday (December 17) morning.

According to reports, the man aged 37 and a father of three, was found dead at the Delhi-Haryana border where thousands of farmers are camped.

The death comes on Day 22 of the protests by farmers against the Centre’s three farm laws, which they demand to be repealed.

NDTV said that at least 20 protesters have died, mostly due to the biting cold, since the agitation began in November end.

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The extreme cold and deaths have not daunted the protesters from budging from their agitation site or their demands. While many have brought tents, heaters and blankets to protect themselves from the cold, others are keeping themselves warm with bonfires.

On Wednesday, Baba Ram Singh, a Sikh cleric who was protesting against the Centre’s farm laws at Delhi, committed suicide by shooting himself, to “express his anger and pain against the government’s injustice”.

In his suicide note, Singh said while the farmers were in pain, the government was not paying any heed to their demands.