Bathinda: BKU Ekta Sidhupur on Wednesday launched a morcha outside Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan’s residence at Sandhwan village in Faridkot district, demanding compensation for the family of two farmer brothers who died by suicide in March and an end to the practice of Punjab State Cooperative Agriculture Development Banks (PADBs) retaining blank cheques from borrowers.Farmers reached the protest site in tractor-trailers. The organisation had already been staging protests outside PADB offices in several districts over the issue.Jaskaran Singh (38) and his younger brother Jaswinder Singh (34), residents of Hari Nau village in Faridkot, died by suicide on March 23 after jumping in front of a train near Bahmanwala village in Kotkapura. The brothers were allegedly under financial distress. Farmer leaders said Sandhwan had announced financial assistance for the bereaved family, but claimed it was yet to be provided.BKU Ekta Sidhupur president Jagjit Singh Dallewal alleged that farmers were being pushed into debt due to government policies and reiterated the demand for a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) based on the C2+50% formula. He also accused the Punjab government of failing to fulfil its assurances to the bereaved family.The organisation also sought compensation for equipment, including tractor trolleys, allegedly stolen during the Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites.Talks between administrative officials and farmer leaders were underway at the time of filing this report. Officials urged the protesters to withdraw the agitation and assured them that their demands would be examined.
