Paramjit Kaur, who lost her 35-year-old husband Diljit Singh, said, “Was the government waiting for Lakhimpur Kheri to happen before repealing the farm laws? Why didn’t they take it back earlier, my husband would had been alive. Around 700 farmers died. The horror of that day is back in my mind.”
For family members of the four farmers who were killed when a convoy of three SUVs, including one owned by Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, ran over a group of protesting farmers in Tikunia area of Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, the battle is not over yet.
Justice will be done only when Mishra is made to resign and arrested, they said on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced repealing of the three contentious farm laws.
Paramjit Kaur, who lost her 35-year-old husband Diljit Singh, said, “Was the government waiting for Lakhimpur Kheri to happen before repealing the farm laws? Why didn’t they take it back earlier, my husband would had been alive. Around 700 farmers died. The horror of that day is back in my mind.”
“I have a son to live for. But I know many mothers who lost their young sons. How will they spend the rest of their lives? This agitation has given us pain that cannot be healed by repealing laws now,” said the mother of a teenaged son.
Diljit’s brother Jagjit reiterated that Mishra must resign. “My brother won’t come back. The minister responsible for his death is still in office. Justice will only be done after the minister is sacked and arrested,” he said. “Aur main ek nasihat bhi dena chahta hun sarkaar ko – is desh ke kisano se kabhi na uljhein (I would like to give a piece of advice to the government – never mess with the farmers of this country),” he said.
Hardeep Singh Dibdiba lost his grandson Navreet Singh on January 26. The family alleged that Navreet died due to bullet injury. The government, however, denied the allegations and said that Navreet died in an accident during the tractor parade.
Hardeep said, “This agitation could have ended on January 26. Have you listened to what BJP government-appointed governor Satyapal had said about the January 26 events. If farmer leadership had taken a stand like Satyapal instead of bending towards the government’s narrative then this agitation would have ended on January 26. The weak leadership of the agitation should also share some blame along with the government for the death of 700 farmers,” said Singh, who is a Sikh writer also.
“The government has now decided to take the law back and it is a good decision. But it wont’ bring back our family members. If this had happened before, even my grandson would have also danced like other,” said Dibdiba.
Hardeep Singh lost his mother Rajinder Kaur in heart attack at Singhu border.
“If BJP thinks that we will forgot what they have done with us then it is their mistake. No farmer should forgot that our 700 men and women died due to the stubborn attitude of this government. Captain Amarinder Singh has said that he would contest in alliance with the BJP after the laws are taken back. It means he thinks that farmers will forgot that their friends and relatives had died during this agitation while sleeping under the open sky or driving between Delhi and Punjab. It is not going to happen,” said Hardeep Singh.
“My brother Jagrup Singh was just 22 and he died in an accident on December 9 while returning from Singhu. I got compensation and job after his death. But do don’t feel the happiness today like others,” said Jaswinder Singh.
Not all the victim families have got compensation. Some families in Punjab have got compensation from the Punjab government and SGPC. Till August 2021, SGPC had paid Rs 1 lakh as compensation to each 270 families where as Punjab government’s list only had names of 220 farmers, who died during agitation.
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