The tent was completely burnt, said the Morcha, which is heading the agitation. (Representational)
New Delhi:
A fire broke out in a tent at Delhi’s Singhu border where farmers have been protesting the centre’s three agri laws, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha claimed on Saturday.
Sukhwinder Singh, a protester, said the incident took place around 10 am near an under-construction flyover where the tent was put up.
However, there was no official word about the incident from the police or the fire department.
The tent was completely burnt, said the Morcha, which is heading the agitation.
A man was also injured while trying to extinguish the blaze. The incident took place after a cylinder caught fire, the SKM claimed.
There were around 10 to 12 people inside the tent when the blaze broke out. Five mobile phones, 20 mattresses, 20 chairs and dry ration was destroyed, it said, adding that a fire tender from Kundali doused the fire.
Dilpreet Singh, a resident of Punjab’s Patiala district who is taking part in the agitation, said a man named Rajwant Singh was injured in the incident.
“The fire broke out when we were making tea. Rajwant was injured while dousing the fire. There were 12 to 13 people in the tent. We will make our new tent tomorrow,” Dilpreet said.
Hundreds of farmers are camping at Delh’s borders points at Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri since November demanding that the centre repeal the three contentious farm laws and make a new one that would ensure legal guarantee on the MSP.
Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.
The protesting farmers, on the other hand, have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with the mandi (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.