Diwali turns tragic as fire destroys 8 acres of paddy in Sangrur

Diwali celebrations turned into a tragedy for two farming families in Lehran Kalan village of Sangrur district after a fire destroyed nearly eight acres of standing paddy crop, causing losses worth lakhs of rupees.

According to the affected farmers, the fire may have been triggered by electrical sparking. The flames spread rapidly through the fields, reducing the nearly ready crop to ashes. The paddy was scheduled to be harvested within the next two days, leaving the farmers with little time to prevent the loss.

Among those affected is a labourer who had taken agricultural land on contract and invested in cultivating the crop. His family has suffered consecutive setbacks, as his cauliflower crop was earlier damaged by rain and the standing paddy has now been destroyed in the fire.

The emotional toll of the incident was evident when Darshana Kaur, mother of the affected farmer Avtar Singh, broke down while speaking about the family’s losses.

Farmers, villagers and farmer leaders have urged the government and district administration to conduct an immediate assessment of the damaged fields and ensure full compensation to the affected families. They said timely financial assistance was essential to help the farmers recover from the losses.