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Last rites of Punjab farmer Shubh Karan held at Bathinda
Shubh Karan was killed, and 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at Khanauri border point on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21. The incident took place when some protesting farmers were trying to head towards the barricades.
The mortal remains of farmer Shubh Karan Singh, 21, who died during clashes between the protesting farmers and the Haryana security personnel, were consigned to flames at his native place Balloh village in Bathinda district on Thursday.
Father Charanjit Singh, who is working as a conductor on a bus of a private school, lit the pyre in the presence of hundreds of people, including villagers, farmer union leaders and leaders of the Congress party.
Shubh Karan was killed, and 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at Khanauri border point on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21. The incident took place when some protesting farmers were trying to head towards the barricades.
Farmer union activists raised pro-peasantry slogans as a tribute to the victim. Earlier, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) leaders including Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher and activists spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to press the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops and a farm loan waiver, paid last respect to Shubh Karan.
His body was taken from Rajindra Hospital in Patiala to the Khanauri border, with farmers marching along the ambulance and demanding action against those who are responsible for his death. The farmers laid flags of farmer outfits on his body, and later, his body was taken to his village Balloh in Bathinda, for his last rites.
KMM convener Sarwan Singh Pandher said the agitation over their various demands would continue. “The agitation is continuing at Shambhu and Khanauri border points,” Pandher said while speaking to reporters. He said a meeting for paying tributes to Shubh Karan will be held by both the forums of SKM (non-political) and KMM at Balloh village in Bathinda on March 3 and asked people to attend it in large numbers.
The post-mortem of Shubhkaran took place on Wednesday night after the Punjab police registered a case of murder at Patiala’s Patran police station.
On Thursday, the state police announced the appointment of the deceased’s younger sister Gurpreet Kaur, as a constable. Chief minister Bagwant Mann had earlier announced a compensation of ₹1 crore to the next of Singh’s kin.
Earlier in the day, the Congress held a protest march led by its state president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira, who walked on foot from Chauke village to Balloh. Several Congress leaders from Bathinda and adjoining districts attended the cremation.
Warring termed the FIR in Singh’s death an eyewash as it was registered against “unknown persons”.
“Chief minister Bhagwant Mann has emerged as a weak leader who appeared to be working on the directions of the centre government. Shubh Karan Singh was killed brutally by the Haryana police, but no person was named in the crime. Nearly 250 other farmers suffered injuries in the ruthless action by Haryana police, but the Mann government has not registered a police complaint in these cases,” said Warring, addressing a gathering.
