Showing solidarity with the ongoing protest, the farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait and Harinder Singh Lakhowal reached Khanauri border on Friday and met Dallewal. | @RakeshTikaitBKU
Chandigarh: Expressing concern over the worsening health of the farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Punjab and Central governments to provide immediate medical assistance to the farmer leader, whose fast-unto-death entered 18th day at the Khanauri border protest site.
It may be recalled that Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at Khanauri border of Punjab and Haryana, since November 26, last, even as a score of farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February this year to press for their various demands including minimum support price (MSP), loan waiver, besides others.
Stating that Dallewal’s life is more important than the movement, the top court said that he should not be forced to eat.
The apex court also urged farmers to maintain peace and instructed that no force be used against Dallewal.
Asking the protesting farmers to adopt Gandhian way of protest and temporarily suspend their protest or shift from highways, the apex court also directed the high-powered committee appointed by it to meet the protesting farmers to persuade them for the same.
Also directing the representatives of Punjab and Centre to immediately meet Dallewal and other farmer leaders to convince them about the need to provide him with immediate medical assistance, the top court while hearing the ongoing case concerning the reopening of the Shambhu border, the Supreme Court posted the matter for the next hearing on December 17.
Meanwhile, according to reports, the health of Dallewal, who is a cancer patient, has been declining even as he has also lost about 12 kg, thus heightening the risk of kidney damage and heart attack, a team of cancer specialists from US and government doctors opined confirming that his condition was critical.
RAKESH TIKAIT MEETS DALLEWAL, FLAYS CENTRE
Meanwhile, showing solidarity with the ongoing protest, the farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait and Harinder Singh Lakhowal reached Khanauri border on Friday and met Dallewal.
Interacting with the farmer leaders, Tikait called for a unity among all the farm unions. He flayed the Central government and held that if the farmers’ demands would not be met, the country would witness another large-scale agitation when the farmers would again reach Delhi.
It may be recalled that the farm leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has already announced that a “jatha’’ of 101 farmers would again undertake their protest foot-march towards Delhi from Shambhu border on December 14. Notably, in their previous attempts on December 6 and 8, several farmers were injured after Haryana police thwarted their protest march by teargas shelling.
