Police watch as farmer hangs self at rally; AAP leaders play blame game

New Delhi: In a case of criminal negligence on the part of the city administration and the Aam Aadmi Party leadership, a man protesting against the National Democratic Alliance government’s Land ordinance hanged himself from a neem tree at Jantar Mantar where the AAP is holding a farmers’ rally.

The man identified as Gajendra, a farmer from Dausa in Rajasthan, was declared brought dead at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. His body has been sent to Lady Hardinge Hospital for post-mortem. “We could not save his life as he (Gajendra) was brought here dead,” RML’s chief medical officer told Firstpost.

The incident took place in heavy police presence and before the entire leadership of the AAP. As the rally began, the man climbed up the tree and started raising slogans against the Narendra Modi government. Despite repeated requests from the people present, he refused to come down and continued to stand at the top of the tree for good two hours.

Later, when he tried to hang himself, few people then climbed up the tree and untied the man and brought down his body. Ironically, the police was still acting like a mute spectator and did not bother to do anything. Unable to bear the weight of the man, those who climbed up somehow dropped the body. People sitting there caught hold of the body with the help of a sitting sheet.

Meanwhile, AAP’s Kumar Vishwas and Sanjay Singh started accusing the Delhi Police of not intervening and letting a poor man lose his life.

Then only the police intervened and took the man to the hospital.

Several attempts to reach DCP (New Delhi) Vijay Singh for his reaction over the incident failed as he did not pick up our phone calls.

Despite the horrific death of the poor man in full public view, the AAP continued with the rally and its top leaders are still addressing the gathering. All top AAP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann, Sanjay Singh, Kumar Vishwas, Ashish Khetan, were present on the stage when the man committed suicide.

Meanwhile, police have begun investigation on the issue. Reacting to the death, Congress leader Ajay Maken, who reached the RML Hospital soon after the man was brought there, told the media, “This is criminal negligence. The organisers as well as the police could have been more sensitive and alert.”

Sachin Pilot, to whose constituency the farmer belonged, said, “I don’t want to politicise this but it is sad that such an environment has been created in the nation. It is saddening.”

“I heard that the rally continued and no one tried to stop or save his life. It is really shocking,” he further.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his lieutenant and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also visited the RML Hospital.