Farmers Movement Archive

BKU Ugrahan president tests Covid positive, admitted to hospital

Bathinda: Farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan has tested Covid-19 positive. The 75-year-old farm leader is admitted at a private hospital in Bathinda. Ugrahan, who was away from Tikri border protest for nearly a week as he was attending kisan panchayats at various places and overseeing preparations for youth wing rally on Sunday at Sunam, for observing Bhagat Singh’ martyrdom and the call for Bharat Bandh on March 26. According to sources, Ugrahan felt uneasy with symptoms of viral fever on Thursday and he got admitted at a private hospital at Bathinda. His Covid-19 test was conducted and he tested positive on Saturday. Farm organisation general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said, “Ugrahan is fit and fine. He will remain in the hospital for some days and will not be attending rallies for sometime.” BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) is the largest farm organisation in Punjab and it is singlehandedly holding protests against central farm laws at Pakora Chowk of Bahadurgarh near Tikri border and at 42 places across Punjab, including at toll plazas, business establishments of corporates and outside residences of BJP leaders. An ex-serviceman, Ugrahan is treated as one of the most respected farmer leaders, who is capable of ensuring large gatherings at any given point of time at even a short notice. Till now, the farmers had been avoiding Covid tests conducted at the protest sites where people in large numbers are sitting without masks and maintaining social distancing.

The Times of India

2021-03-21

Chandigarh