BATHINDA: The health of farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, on a fast unto death for 41 days, worsened sharply in the 24 hours following his address at a mahapanchayat at the Khanauri protest site on the Punjab-Haryana border.
As per a team of doctors that was attending to him on Sunday, Dallewal’s glomerular filtration rate had decreased. Glomerular filtration is the process of purifying by which kidneys filter waste and excess water from the blood into the urine. Problems have also been detected in his liver. It has been found that even if he ends his fast, Dallewal might not recover fully. Since Saturday evening, he has been vomiting regularly and feeling uneasy. He was not able to speak properly on Sunday.
The cold was severe when Dallewal was brought to the stage of the kisan mahapanchayat on Saturday, made to lie on a specially prepared bed, and address the gathering. He started feeling uneasy when he was taken back to his chamber after the mahapanchayat. He vomited as his blood pressure dropped while being taken back.
During the day too, police officials reached Khanauri to persuade Dallewal to receive medical aid without breaking his fast. Former DIG Narinder Bhargav and Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nanak Singh met farm leaders, a day ahead of the Supreme Court hearing the matter again.
When Dallewal was addressing the mahapanchayat, a doctor could be heard asking him to cut short his address, but farm leader continued and could be heard saying to let him speak to the large gathering. Given his condition, doctors did not want him to be taken out for the address, but Dallewal wanted to reach out to people as it was on his insistence that a large gathering was mobilised.
After the mahapanchayat, a team of doctors led by Dr Avtar Singh has been monitoring his health and checking his vital organs. During his address, Dallewal called upon farmers to take the fight to the entire country as the fight to get the legal right of MSP was tough. He called upon farmers from Punjab to send at least one tractor-trailer to the Khanauri protest venue from each of the nearly 13,000 villages.
Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohad said people in large numbers reached Khanauri to see Dallewal, and they hoped they will act according to the wishes of Dallewal.
