Sikh Priest Allegedly Shoots Himself In Support Of Protesting Farmers At Singhu Border

Amidst no sign of stopping, intensifying farmers' protest saw a Sikh priest allegedly shoot himself fatally at the Singhu border in Delhi on Wednesday evening.

The deceased has been identified as Sant Baba Ram Singh of Singhra village in Nissing area of Karnal district.

Twitter

In solidarity with farmers

According to his alleged suicide letter, the Sikh priest allegedly shot himself in solidarity with the farmers protesting against Indian government's three new farm laws, reports Times Now.

The deceased 65-year-old was a religious preacher with followers in Haryana and Punjab, according to several online reports. He was a former office bearer in many Sikh organisations, including Haryana SGPC. Currently, he was handling the management of Gurdwara Sahib Nanaksar in Singhra village in Haryana.

The suicide note

In the handwritten suicide note, reportedly found near his body and now circulating on Twitter, Baba Ram Singh is believed to have said that he was 'hurt to see the plight of the farmers' and the 'government's oppression'.

"I have witnessed the plight of the farmers, who are on the streets, struggling for their rights. I am hurt to see that the government is not giving them justice. It is a crime. It is a sin to oppress and it is a sin to suffer," Baba Ram Singh's suicide note said.

Twitter

"Nobody did anything against the oppression and for the rights of the farmers. Many even expressed their wrath by returning awards and honours given to them," it said.

"This servant commits self-immolation against the government oppression [and] in favour of the farmers. It [The act] is the voice against the oppression and the voice in favour of the farmers," the suicide note written in Punjabi said.

Tensions prevail

Initial reports suggest that he shot himself with a licensed gun. Later, he was admitted to a private hospital where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The deceased body of Baba Ram Singh arrived at KCGMC, but the followers (sangat) refused to get his post-mortem conducted. According to reports, his body is being taken to Nanaksar Gurdwara Singhra, where thousands of followers have gathered.

TOI

The followers allegedly chanted ¡°maharaj ji ne sahadat diti hai kisana vaste, Modi ji, hun te kisana di sun lo¡¯ (Maharaj ji sacrificed for farmers, Modi ji, at least now listen to the farmers' plea), as a large number of police personnel has been deployed outside the gurdwara to keep the situation from escalating any further.

This is a developing story. Further details are to be updated.