Raipur: Extending condolences to the bereaved family of the farmer from Baroda village, Nava Raipur, CM Bhupesh Baghel on Friday announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin. He also instructed officials to act swiftly in regards to the incident.
Reportedly, a 66-year-old farmer died in Nava Raipur at the protest site on Friday. Locals report the farmer felt dizzy and fainted after which he was said to be dead on arrival by the hospital authorities It is speculated that Siyaram Patel suffered a heart attack. His body was sent for post mortem to BR Ambedkar Hospital Raipur. According to Hiralal, son of the deceased farmer, Siyaram was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and was under medication for the same.
“As per prior discussion with farmers, they were stopped at a pre-decided place where barricading was done by police and their applications were being accepted village-wise by setting up counters. Patel, from Barauda village, fainted and fell on the ground near the counter and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital,” a senior police officer in Raipur, Prashant Agrawal told.
For the past 68 days, farmers from across 27 villages have been agitating at Nava Raipur Atal Nagar in Raipur under the banner of Nayi Rajdhani Priyojna Prabhavit Kisan Kalyan Samidhi with various demands including better rehabilitation and compensation. They claim their land was illicitly acquired by the Nava Raipur Development Authority. The state govt after a closed-door meeting had agreed to six out of the eight demands put forth by the protesting farmers. While officials stated that legal advice was being sought on the other two. The protesting farmers have also submitted an MoU stating their demands