AKIPRESS.COM - An Indian farmer has died after hanging himself from a tree before a huge crowd at a rally addressed by the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal.

Gajendra Singh, from the western state of Rajasthan, was taken to hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had staged the rally in Delhi to protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's controversial land acquisition bill.

Opponents of the bill say it will hurt the interests of farmers. However, the government says it will boost the economy.

The bill was passed in the lower house of parliament last month but has not yet been approved by the upper house, where Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is in the minority.

Since 1995, more than 300,000 Indian farmers have killed themselves because of debts or poor harvests. However, correspondents say this is the most high-profile incident of its kind, taking place before thousands of people at a rally in the capital, reports BBC.