The Bathinda district administration on Wednesday evening gave ₹8 lakh compensation each to the families of five activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU Ekta-Ugrahan) who died in a road mishap on January 4.
The union was demanding ₹10 lakh each as compensation, a loan waiver for the affected families and a government job for one member of the deceased’s families.
The deceased belonged to Kotha Guru village in Bathinda and the union had refused to cremate bodies until their demands were met.
The union had been staging a protest outside the district administrative complex (DAC) in support of the demands since January 6.
The state authorities had reportedly offered a sum of ₹5 lakh that was declined by the union. However, the protesters agreed to the compensation of ₹8 lakh after a meeting with the district officials and they ended the dharna.
Three women farm union activists were killed and 31 injured when a private bus hired by the union overturned near the Moga bypass flyover in Barnala district. They were heading to Tohana in Haryana to attend a farmers’ rally. Two more succumbed to injuries during the treatment.