Farmer ends life outside GNDTP in Bathinda

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, July 1

A farmer distressed over the auctioning of the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) land on Wednesday morning reportedly committed suicide by consuming poisonous substance outside the thermal plant.

The deceased has been identified as Joginder Singh Bhola (55), resident of Cheema in Sangrur district.

Bhola was a farmer leader and associated with the BKU Ekta Ugrahan from a long time. Joginder was carrying a placard bearing a photo of Guru Nanak Dev along with words written in Punjabi stating that Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant is a historic place and he is sacrificing his life to stop it from being sold.

BKU Ekta Ugrahan state secretary Shingara Singh Mann said, “Farmer leader Joginder Singh has ended his life by committing suicide outside the thermal plant as he was in religious distress after the state government’s decision to auction the GNDTP land and it seems that he had come prepared for this as on his placard it was written that he is sacrificing his life for the GNDTP.”

Lashing out at the state government, he said, “Punjab government should stop distressing the people religiously and it should restart the GNDTP by stopping its privatisation.”

He also demanded that district administration should give compensation of Rs 10 lakhs and a job to family members of Joginder Singh.

BKU Ekta Ugrahan activists claimed that today morning Joginder Singh came on his motorcycle to sit on a hunger strike in protest against the closure of GNDTP outside the thermal plant main gate but after some time he has been found dead in mysterious circumstances.

They also stated that Joginder was irked over the state government’s decision to auction the land of GNDTP, Bathinda which was dedicated to the Guru Nanak Dev.

Later, SAD Kisan wing president Sikander Singh Maluka and former MLA Sarup Chand Singla visited the civil hospital and they blamed state government and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal for the death of Joginder Singh.

They claimed that people are feeling distressed and cheated as Congress leaders during the 2017 polls promised to restart the thermal plant, but now a few days back they have approved the auctioning of the land.

SSP Dr Nanak Singh said, “We are conducting the post-mortem of the deceased, after which the reason behind the death would be cleared and after that only it would be clear whether this is a suicide or not.”