Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Abed, on the seventeenth day of his hunger strike near Khanuri border in Punjab’s Sangrur district on December 12, 2024. Photo credit: PTI
The Supreme Court on Thursday (December 19, 2024) reprimanded the Punjab government for failing to conduct a health check-up of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on an indefinite fast in the Khanuri border.
The Supreme Court has directed the government to convince Dallewal to undergo treatment for a week and others to continue the agitation.
‘No one is trying to uproot the farmers’ movement, we are trying to ensure the safety of their leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal. After Dallewal is safe, we will talk to the court,’ the court further said.
Earlier on December 13, the Supreme Court had asked the Punjab government and the Center to provide medical aid to Mr. Dallewal, who is on a hunger strike in Khanauri border, and to persuade him to end his agitation for his life.
The court suggested that Mr. Dallewal could be shifted to PGI Chandigarh or the nearby city of Patiala for immediate medical intervention, if required.
Mr. Dallewal has been on a fast to death since November 26 in the Khanuri border of Punjab and Haryana to pressurize the Center to accept the demands of the agitating farmers, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) in crops.
(With information from PTI)
published – Dec 19, 2024 03:45 pm IST