A day after a farmer from Rajasthan hanged himself from a tree at an Aam Aadmi Party rally in Delhi, there were angry protests by the Opposition inside Parliament, demanding a discussion on the issue. Delhi Police is investigating whether the death was a suicide or an accident.Â
What happened and how?
1. A discussion was held on the issue in the Lok Sabha or Lower House today following adjournment notices by the Congress and other parties for suspension of Question Hour to. “Police kept watching… people on stage kept watching the suicide… Government is not taking cognizance of suicides,” Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge earlier said, as Opposition lawmakers shouted slogans.
2.”The government has no problem in discussing this important issue in the House… It should not be politicised,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
3. Gajendra, 41, climbed a tree and hanged himself on Wednesday afternoon as hundreds watched in horror.
4. Delhi Police has filed a case for abetment to suicide. A Crime Branch team is heading for farmer Gajendra Singh’s village in Dausa where he was cremated today.
5. The police are scanning video footage of the incident to see whether anyone in the crowd goaded Gajendra or tried to stop policemen from saving him.
6. Earlier in the day, activists of the youth Congress protested outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been severely criticised for continuing with the rally even after the man’s death.
7. Kejriwal and his party have accused the police of doing nothing to save the man. There were layers of policemen at the rally and a few metres from the tree where the farmer hanged himself, sat Kejriwal and other AAP leaders.
8. Before killing himself, Gajendra Singh from Dausa district even flung what was perceived as a suicide note at the crowd, in which he had written: “I am a farmer’s son. My father drove me out of the house because my crop failed. I have three children. I am from Rajasthan. Please tell me, how do I go home? Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.”
9. Gajendra’s family can’t believe that he could have committed suicide. Villagers say the family owns 17 bighas (seven acres) of land and had not suffered major crop loss.
10. Kejriwal last night said that his government would do everything possible to find out what led to the death. AAP leaders met at his home today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences to the farmer’s family, saying the death had “saddened the nation”.