Farmers' Protest: Sikh Priest Shoots Self Near Singhu Border, Dies; Leaves Emotional Suicide Note

According to reports, the preacher left behind a handwritten note in Punjabi, in which he said that he was unable to bear the "pain of farmers". The note is being verified by police.

(Image: PTI/ Twitter)

New Delhi: As the farmer’s protest is intensifying every day, a Sikh preacher supporting the agitation against the contentious farm laws allegedly committed suicide near the Singhu border in Delhi on Wednesday, the Police said. According to reports, the preacher left behind a handwritten note in Punjabi, in which he said that he was unable to bear the "pain of farmers". The note is being verified by police.  According to the Sonipat police, Sant Ram Singh (65), who hailed from Karnal, allegedly shot himself. The deceased was later rushed to a hospital in Panipat where doctors declared him brought dead. The exact spot where the incident took place is being verified and police are in the process of recording statements of the deceased's family members, a police official told news agency PTI. "I have witnessed the plight of the farmers who are struggling for their rights. It saddens me that the government is not giving justice to the farmers. It is a crime. It is a sin to oppress and it is a sin to suffer," Sant Baba Ram Singh's suicide note said. Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee president Manjinder Singh Sirsa expressed grief over the incident and urged farmers to exercise restraint. “A very sad news has been received that Sant Ram Singh, who dedicated his life to the service of humanity, committed suicide by shooting himself,” he said in a tweet.

दिल बहुत दुखी है आप को ये बताते हुए कि संत राम सिंह जी सिंगड़े वाले ने किसानों की व्यथा को देखते हुए आत्महत्या कर ली। इस आंदोलन ने पूरे देश की आत्मा झकझोर कर रख दी है। मेरी वाहेगुरु से अरदास है कि उनकी आत्मा को शांति मिले

आप सभी से संयम बनाकर रखने की विनती ???????? pic.twitter.com/DyYyGmWgGg — Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) December 16, 2020

Sirsa appealed to the farmers to practice restraint and said that the victim wrote in his suicide note that he was unable to bear the "pain of the farmers". It is a sin to suffer atrocity and witness it, which I cannot see, Sirsa said the cleric wrote in his suicide note. “It is a very grave time. I request you as the chief sewadar of the DSGMC to exercise restraint because anybody can do mischief in the farmers' agitation. It is a very sad incident for all of us but we need to be restrained,” PTI quoted Sirsa saying. Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and other states have been protesting near the Delhi borders for the past three weeks, demanding that the Centre's farm laws be repealed.