Amid biting cold, farmers head towards Delhi in a tractor-trailer in Amritsar on Tuesday. Vishal Kumar
Tribune Reporters
Ferozepur/muktsar, Jan 12
Adding to the mounting toll, five more farmers have died in various parts of the state.
Baba Naseeb Singh Maan (55) allegedly shot himself at his home in Mehma village in Mamdot block of Ferozepur district on Monday evening in protest against the farm laws.
As per information, the deceased farmer had released a video on December 20 and made a public announcement during a farmers’ meeting that if the Union Government did not repeal the anti-farmer laws, he would shoot himself the way Baba Ram Singh did on December 17 last year. Yesterday, Maan addressed the farmers during a meeting before killing himself. A few days ago, he had participated in a tractor rally and exhorted other farmers to stay united.
![]() |
![]() |
A pall of gloom descended on the village as the news of his death spread. A suicide note has also been found. The police have started an investigation. In his previous video, recorded on December 20, Naseeb was heard saying if the government did not pay heed to their demands, they would start giving “shahadat” (sacrifice) like Gurus. SI Chanchal, Investigation Officer, said the body had been handed over to the family members after a postmortem.
In another incident, a young farmer from Sawai Ke village in the Mamdot area died due to illness after returning from a Delhi protest site. The deceased has been identified as Lovepreet Singh (25), who along with a few other farmers had gone to the Kundli border in Haryana on December 11 to join the protest. However, during this period, he fell ill due to cold. He was brought back to his village yesterday, but his condition did not improve. As per information, Lovepreet had lost his father a few years ago and was currently living with his grandparents and owned two acres of agricultural land.
In Muktsar, two more farmers died today, taking the toll in the district to four in three days. Avtar Singh (79), a resident of Lohara village, reportedly died of cardiac arrest while sleeping in a trailer at the Tikri border. He had reportedly gone there to support the protesters on December 17. Though his family members had asked him to come back due to the prevailing cold weather, he stayed on saying he would return home only when the Centre repealed the farm laws, said his neighbours.
Avtar’s grandson Gurbhej Singh has sought a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh from the district administration, saying the family was already under huge debt.
Another elderly farmer, Jagtar Singh from Barkandi village, died of cardiac arrest today. The deceased had returned from Delhi two days ago. A relative said he had been suffering from a cardiac problem for the past few years and passed away this afternoon. The cremation would be held on Wednesday.
Notably, a 61-year-old farmer, Jagdish Singh, from Lundewala village had reportedly died of cardiac arrest at the Tikri border on Monday. Farmer Harpinder Singh, alias Neetu Khalsa, from Abul Khurana village, had died at a hospital in Ludhiana on Sunday night after developing some health issues at the Tikri border a few days ago.
Meanwhile, the Ludhiana farmer who consumed a poisonous substance at the Singhu border on Monday evening died at a private hospital today.
The deceased has been identified as Labh Singh (49) of Sirthala in Ludhiana. He was working as ‘chowkidar’ in the soil testing laboratory of the Agriculture Department in Samrala. He had gone to the Singhu border in support of farmers’ protest a week ago. The police handed over the body to his kin after a postmortem.
Leaders attend last rites of deceased
Sensing the gravity of the situation, politicians are also attending the cremation of farmers who died while lodging a protest at the Delhi borders. Congress MLA from Gidderbaha Amarinder Singh Raja Warring attended the cremation of farmer Jagdish Singh. Thereafter, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also visited the deceased’s residence