Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday warned the Centre against upsetting farmers from Punjab and reminded it about destabilising a border state.

Pawar’s comments came on the heels of the brutal killing of a Dalit farmer at the Singhu border on Friday.

While speaking to media in Pune, the NCP said, “The central government should not upset farmers from Punjab, since it is a border state. In the ongoing agitation, the majority of farmers are from Punjab.”

Recalling the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, he said, “Punjab is a state on the border. If we make the states on the border unstable, then what are the ramification of it, that has been seen once before. The country has paid the price for a troubled Punjab. And, that price has been paid with the assassination of Indira Gandhi (former prime minister).”

Earlier on Friday, a mutilated body of a man was found hanging on a police barricade at the farmers’ protest site near the Singhu border. An FIR has been registered in the case, confirmed the police.

The man has been identified as Lakhbir Singh resident of village Cheema Khurd in Tarn Taran district of Punjab. The deceased, about 35-36 years old, who used to work as a labourer, has no criminal record or affiliation with any political party, informed the police.

Farmers have been protesting at different sites since November 26 last year against the enacted farm laws: Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Farmer leaders and the Centre have held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains.