Haryana: Seven days after the death of a farmer Shubhkaran Singh during clashes between protesting farmers and Haryana police personnel and alleged firing at the Khanauri border point, the Punjab Police on Wednesday night registered a case of murder.
Shubhkaran, a 21-year-old native of Bathinda, lost his life, and 12 armed forces personnel suffered injuries during clashes at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21. The incident occurred as some protesting farmers attempted to move towards police barricades set up to impede their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
A case has been filed by the Punjab Police at the Patran Police station in Patiala under sections 302 (murder) and 114 (abettor present when the offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code. The case is against an unidentified person, as indicated in the FIR lodged by Shubhkaran’s father. The FIR states the location of the incident as Garhi in Haryana’s Jind district, near Khanauri.
The registration of the FIR resolves the deadlock between the farmers and the Punjab government, allowing for the post-mortem examination of the body. Farmer leaders insisted on the FIR before agreeing to the post-mortem, and currently, the body is at the Rajindra Hospital mortuary in Patiala.
Shubhkaran is expected to be cremated on Thursday. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann previously announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job for Shubhkaran’s sister.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha lead the protest, urging the GoI to meet their demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops and farm loan waiver.
Farmers, predominantly from Punjab, participating in the protest have set up camps at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points. Farmer leaders declare that the protesters will continue to occupy Khanauri and Shambhu until February 29, when the next course of action will be decided.
