BATHINDA: When hundreds of farmers protested here on Friday for complete farm debt waiver , even they could not stop two women from breaking down in the middle of the agitation. Baljit Kaur (48) and Jasmel Kaur (60), residents of Jhanduke village, lost their husbands after the Congress came to power in Punjab — both committed suicide as they could not repay their debts and weren’t extended help from government.Baljit’s husband Jagjit Singh — who had a Rs 5-lakh debt — ended his life on April 15 last year, while Jasmel’s husband Jagraj Singh, who was under a Rs 8-lakh loan, ended his life on June 10, 2017. Tearing rolling down their faces, the two were seated on the ground with other farm widows who had come to attend the protest outside the district’s administrative complex.The protest was organised by BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), BKU (Ekta Dakonda), Krantikari Kisan Union, Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Kisan Union, Kisan Union (Krantikari), and Punjab Kisan Union. None has gotten any help, they said.The husbands of both had small landholdings, between 2.5 acres and 5 acres. While the government has extended debt relief to marginal farmers, whose landholdings are under 2.5 acres, so far, chief minister Amarinder Singh is going to start distributing cheques among farmers who have small landholdings from January 22.The government is yet to give the duo’s families the Rs 3-lakh compensation promised for all farm families in which a suicide has been committed due to debt. “My husband was in depression for not being able to repay the loan. That day, he went to the fields at night and we found his body hanging from a tree in the morning,” she said.Jasmel, who was at a loss of words and could barely speak, too hand similar tale to tell. An official of the agriculture department said cases of suicide were checked by a district-level committee headed by the DC concerned and relief was provided to only “deserving families”.

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