Ignored by unions, say deceased labourer’s kin

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 5

The family members of farm labourer Gurjant Singh from Sivian village in Bathinda, who died last week, have accused farm unions and the Khet Mazdoor Union of ignoring them.

They said neither did they come to offer any condolence nor they put up a case with the administration or government for compensation. Notably, 66-year-old Gurjant Singh, who had been going to the farmers’ agitation at the Jeeda toll plaza in Bathinda, had caught pneumonia and died on January 28.

Talking to The Tribune, Inderjit Singh, son of the deceased, said, “Today was his bhog ceremony but no one from farm unions or the Khet Mazdoor Union came to mourn his death. While his death has left us in despair, what’s more disappointing is the complete ignorance by unions which otherwise have put forward demands of compensation with the administration,” Singh, who used to work as peon at a private academic institute in Bathinda, said.

Jora Singh Nasrali, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union state president, said, “I got a phone call from the son of the deceased today but before that, the matter was not in my knowledge. I have asked our block convener to probe the matter in depth and give me a real picture of the entire case. If it is found that the person concerned had been participating in the protests, his case would be duly taken up with the administration.”