Maharashtra: 58-year-old participating in farmers foot march dies

A 58-year-old participant in the long march of thousands of farmers and tribals from Nashik district in North Maharashtra to Mumbai has died, an official said.

Pundalik Ambo Jadhav, a resident of a village near Dindori in Nashik, was taken to a hospital in Shahpur on Friday afternoon after he complained of uneasiness. After he felt better, Jadhav returned to the place where the protesters are camping, said the official.

The 200km foot march by thousands of farmers and tribals started from Dindori on Sunday last in support of their demands. It has reached Thane district's Vasind town, around 80km from Mumbai. Their demands include Rs 600 per quintal relief to onion farmers, 12-hour uninterrupted power supply to farmers and waiver of farm loans.

After having dinner around 8 pm on Friday, Jadhav vomited and again started feeling uneasy. He was rushed to the Shahapur hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, said the official.

The station house officer at Vasind police station that a case of accidental death has been registered and Jadhav’s body has been sent for a postmortem.