Abhay apologises for nine farmers killed 17 years ago

CHANDIGARH: Abhay Singh Chautala, the Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, on Monday apologised for the death of nine farmers in police firing on agitating farmers at Kandela village in Jind during the government of Om Prakash Chautala almost 17 years ago.

Abhay Chautala: Reaching out

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 21

Abhay Singh Chautala, the Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, on Monday apologised for the death of nine farmers in police firing on agitating farmers at Kandela village in Jind during the government of Om Prakash Chautala almost 17 years ago. He said that he was sorry if there was any mistake on the part of the Chautala government that led to the killing of farmers in police firing.

Abhay was campaigning in Kandela village for Umed Redhu, INLD candidate for the Jind byelection. He said that generally such incidents occur when emotionally-charged people clash with the police. “But if the firing incident occurred due to a mistake on the part of the government led by my father Om Prakash Chautala, I tender my apology and also apologise on behalf of my father. To err is human, so mistakes can happen sometimes,” he said.

He criticised the government for the killing of people during the Jat agitation and violence by Dera Sacha Sauda followers. He said that the INLD could have committed mistakes, but it would never do what the present government did – shooting people after first inviting them to Panchkula, as happened in the dera case.

In May and June 2002, nine farmers had died in police firing in an effort to remove a road blockade over the refusal of the government to waive their power bills as promised before elections.

In the aftermath of the police firing, the BKU had announced that no member of the Chautala family would be allowed to enter Kandela village.

OP Chautala calls grandsons ‘traitors’

Former CM Om Prakash Chautala on Monday called his grandsons Dushyant and Digvijay “traitors” and appealed to people of Jind to vote for INLD nominee Umed Redhu. Speaking to the media when he was being shifted to Tihar Jail from LNJP Hospital in New Delhi after cancellation of his furlough, Chautala alleged his furlough had been cancelled under a conspiracy by the Delhi’s AAP government and JJP leaders Dushyant and Digvijay. TNS