Punjab and Haryana High Court orders judicial probe into death of farmer during protest
The investigation will be conducted by a retired High Court judge and two senior police officers from Haryana and Punjab, the court said.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday ordered a judicial investigation into the death of farmer Shubhkaran Singh, who died allegedly during clashes between the police and the farmers at the state border on February 21, PTI reported.
The direction came from the division bench of acting Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji in a public interest litigation seeking judicial inquiry into the death of the farmer.
The court said that the judicial probe will be conducted by a retired High Court judge and two additional director generals of police-rank officers from Punjab and Haryana, The Indian Express reported.
The bench verbally remarked that the investigation into the death cannot be handed over to either Punjab or Haryana.
On February 21, Singh, a 21-year-old farmer, allegedly died of a head injury sustained during the police action against farmers in the Khanauri town near the state border between Punjab and Haryana.
Singh was taken to the Government Medical College and Rajendra Hospital in Punjab’s Patiala city, where he was declared dead on arrival.
His death prompted the farmers to halt the march for two days. The protest was then suspended for five more days.
On February 14, thousands of farmers had started a protest march to Delhi to seek a law guaranteeing a minimum support price for agricultural commodities and the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission Report’s wider recommendations on farming in India.
They had been stopped by Haryana Police at the state’s border with Punjab.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on February 21 expressed grief over Shubhkaran Singh’s death and assured that legal action will be taken in the matter. Those responsible for Shubhkaran Singh’s death will face severe action, Mann had said.
Shubhkaran Singh’s family rejected the compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job offered by the Punjab government. “We are seeking justice for our child and it can’t be equated with money or job,” The Indian Express had quoted a family member as saying on February 26.