The committee probing the death of Shubh Karan Singh, a 21-year-old farm protester during the agitation for legal guarantee of MSP at Khanauri border on February 21, has concluded that the death took place in Haryana’s territory.
The report by the panel presided over by justice Jaishree Thakur (retd) submitted the report on Tuesday and has not been made public.
“The panel has said that the death took place in Haryana territory. In view of this, the high court has sought names of senior officers, who can be entrusted with the probe,” additional advocate general, Haryana, Deepak Sabherwal said, after the hearing. Detailed order is awaited.
On March 7, the HC had ordered a judicial probe into the death of Singh. The panel, headed by justice Thakur, is being assisted by ADGP, Punjab, Parmod Ban and ADGP, Haryana, Amitabh Singh Dhillon.
The judicial probe was ordered as farmers had alleged that Haryana policemen entered into Punjab’s territory and resorted to violence, in which Shubh Karan was also killed. The court had also criticised the Punjab government for dilly dallying the probe.
The court was hearing a clutch of petitions, some seeking restraint orders on farmers’ “Delhi Chalo” march, others seeking removal of barricades and restrictions put in place by the governments for thwarting the march.
{{/usCountry}}The court was hearing a clutch of petitions, some seeking restraint orders on farmers’ “Delhi Chalo” march, others seeking removal of barricades and restrictions put in place by the governments for thwarting the march.
{{/usCountry}}The committee had been asked to give a report as to which of the police authorities will have jurisdiction to investigate the death. This is being ordered since the place of occurrence and the death firstly has to be confirmed as “one state is shirking its responsibilities whereas the other is yearning to get its hands on the investigation”, the HC had said.
Demanding a law on the minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s formula, among others demands, hundreds of farmers were camping at Shambhu barrier near Ambala and Khanauri barrier in Jind in response to the Delhi Chalo agitation spearheaded by the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur). The farmers were stopped at these two places on February 13 and camped there for nearly two months.
Violence broke out on February 21 at both the protest sites as farmers unsuccessfully tried to break the barricades and march towards Delhi. Scores of security personnel and protesters had suffered injuries at Khanauri border. Shubh Karan succumbed to his injuries at Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.