Khanauri: Makeshift hospital set up to monitor Dallewal’s health

The hospital, 700m away from the protest site in Khanauri, will be manned by doctors from the Punjab health department in Patiala to provide round-the-clock care to fasting farm leader

Punjab government on Friday set up a makeshift hospital in one of the rooms in the nearby restaurant at the Khanauri protest site for round-the-clock monitoring of the veteran farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s health and provide aid in case of any medical exigency.

The temporary hospital that has been set up near the site where farmer leader Dallewal has been on a hunger strike.

The hospital will be manned by a team of doctors from the Punjab health department. The one-room hospital is nearly 700m away from the main stage of the protest site.

Dallewal’s fast-unto-death entered its 25th day on Friday.

This comes on a day when during the hearing, the Supreme Court on Friday left it to the Punjab government officials and doctors to decide on the hospitalisation of Dallewal.

A bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said it was the responsibility of the Punjab government to look after the health of Dallewal.

It sought reports from the Punjab chief secretary and health officials on the medical conditions of Dallewal by January 2 and said the state government could approach the court if a need arose. The bench said 67-year-old Dallewal could be moved to the makeshift hospital.

Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh gave an undertaking of the chief secretary on the medical condition of the farmer leader and said forcefully moving him from where he was stationed could cause him trauma and aggravate the situation.

The bench said the authorities could continue with their efforts to persuade him to move to the hospital.

Gurminder Singh informed the bench on December 19, that Dallewal cooperated and underwent several tests, including ECG and blood examination.

He said Dallewal’s health condition appeared to be stable for now.

The veteran farm leader has been on an indefinite fast at the Khanauri border since November 26 to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Dallewal writes to SC

Chandigarh Dallewal wrote to the Supreme Court urging it to direct the Centre to accept the farmers’ demands.

Dallewal (67), in the letter to the apex court, said a parliamentary panel has recommended the government implement a legally binding minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce.

“I request you to give necessary directions to the Central government to make MSP guarantee law by respecting the report of the parliamentary committee and the sentiments of the farmers so that farmer suicides can be stopped. This is an all-party committee of Parliament, which includes 31 MPs from all political parties,” Dallewal wrote in the letter.

The farmer leader said he learnt through the media that the top court was concerned about his health. “I respect your feelings,” wrote Dallewal and said that he wanted to humbly request that the lives of those farmers who committed suicides due to the ‘wrong policies’ of the governments are more important than his life.

AAP delegation raises Dallewal issue with Punjab guv

Chandigarh A delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday raised the issue of Dallewal’s fast-unto-death with Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria and urged him to intervene and press the Centre to initiate talks with the protesting farmers. AAP’s Punjab unit president Aman Arora stressed that the legitimate demands of the farmers must be fulfilled without further delay. He further said, “Farmers are the backbone of our nation. The continuous disregard of their demands and the breaking of past promises by the Central government is a matter of grave concern. Immediate steps must be taken to address their issues and safeguard the health and well-being of Dallewal.”