Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday ordered a judicial probe into the death of 21-year old farmer Shubhkaran Singh, a resident of village Ballo, district Bathinda, during the farmers’ protest at Khanauri border on February 21.
The high court bench of acting chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji also verbally rapped the petitioners when shown some photos in which children and women could be seen in the front during the February 21 protest. "Children are being used as shield. This is absolutely shameful. It is a sad state of affairs, children who are supposed to study in school are shown what they should not be… it was a war-like situation," the bench orally observed.
The observation of the court came during the hearing of a bunch of petitions some of which seeking restraint orders on farmers’ Delhi Chalo march, some seeking removal of barricades and restrictions put by Haryana government to thwart the farmers’ tractor march and others seeking a probe into the Haryana police action against the protesters at Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana.
Observing that the probe could not be handed over to Haryana and Punjab for "obvious reasons", the bench said that a retired judge would preside over the probe panel and two officers of the rank of additional director general of police (ADGP) from both the states would be part of it.
The court also questioned Punjab on the delay in initiating a probe into Shubhkaran Singh’s death due to which his cremation could be done on February 29 eight days after his death only after police registered an FIR in the case. The court also asked Haryana to submit details about the types of bullets and pellets used in the action on February 21.
For the record, a multitude of farmers are camping at the said two borders of Punjab and Haryana since February 13 to press for their demands including legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, full debt waiver, pension for farmers and labourers, withdrawal of cases against farmers during 2020-2021 protest, besides others. Four rounds of talks between the Centre and the farm leaders have failed.
Violence had broken out on February 21, last, at two borders when the Haryana police rained teargas shells and rubber bullets to thwart farmers who tried to force their Delhi Chalo march ahead trying to break the barricades.
