Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal from Chandigarh, Punjab, is still on his indefinite hunger strike. He recently drank a glass of water, but only after farmers who were detained by police last week were released. Dallewal made it clear that he would only drink water once all the farmers were back home.
On Friday, the Punjab government told the Supreme Court that Dallewal had ended his fast since he accepted water. But farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said that’s not true—it was only after the other farmers were released that Dallewal drank water.
Kohar explained, “We want everyone to know that Dallewal has not ended his hunger strike. He is still on it.” Another farmer leader, Kaka Singh Kotra, added that Dallewal waited to drink water until he knew all the detained farmers were free.
Dallewal is part of a group fighting for farmers’ rights, and he started his hunger strike on November 26 last year. His goal is to get the government to guarantee a fair price for their crops.
After several farmer leaders were detained by police on March 19 while trying to return home after a meeting, they were released on Friday. They met with Dallewal in the hospital afterward. The police had removed barricades and cleared roads that had been blocked due to protests. However, many farmers are saying that some of their belongings may have been stolen.
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