Chandigarh: A 25-year-old farmer sitting on an indefinite dharna with other peasants to demand compensation was found dead in Bathinda district of Punjab, with police suspecting suicide as the cause of the death.
Kuldeep Singh allegedly consumed some poisonous substance last night, police said.
“As per preliminary reports, the farmer consumed some poisonous substance. However, the exact cause of the death can only become clear after the postmortem examination,” Bathinda’s SP (Headquarters), Dr Nanak Singh said over phone today.
Kuldeep was participating in an indefinite dharna demanding compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre to farmers whose crop had been damaged due to recent pest attack and Rs 20,000 per acre to farm labourers.
Preliminary reports said that the farmer was under stress due to heavy damage to his cotton crop by white fly attack.
The white fly pest attack has caused extensive damage to cotton farmers in several parts of Punjab and neighbouring Haryana.