One of the farmers participating in the protest being held at Mandakla village near Jodhpur died late on Friday night. The farmer – Pukhraj Dogiyal was in his late twenties and was also a student leader belonging to Mandiyayi village in Jodhpur district. He was taken ill late on Friday night and was rushed to MDM Hospital at Jodhpur where he died. His family has refused to accept his body and are demanding compensation and a repeat Corona test.
The police used force to evacuate the farmers from the protest site on Saturday after a coronavirus test was conducted on the body and it tested positive. A case has also been registered against 27 farmer leaders leading the protest. The Bhartiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) has rubbished the report and accused the government of using a ploy to disperse the protesters. They have demanded that a repeat test be carried out at AIIMS, Jodhpur to ascertain whether he actually was affected.
The farmers had been protesting since August 5 in support of their 21demands. The prominent among them are reinstating subsidy on electricity bills, waiving penalty on the bills and compensation for the crops damaged by locusts.
The protest was being organised under the aegis of Bhartiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the RSS-affiliated farmers body.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal Hemraj the Prant Sangathan Mantri of BKS said, “The government has arbitrarily dispersed the farmers by using force but we will not be intimidated by pressure tactics. BKS stands in solidarity with Pukhraj’s family. We will not let the protest die down and we will continue to press for our demands.”
