Haryana Govt moves Supreme Court against High Court order on Punjab farmer Shubhkaran Singh’s death probe

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 14

The Haryana Government has moved the Supreme Court against an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court setting up a panel to inquire into a farmer’s death during a clash between protesting farmers and the state police.

Shubhkaran’s death probe

The Haryana Government has challenged the March 7 order of the high court setting up a panel headed by retired HC judge Jaishree Thakur to probe the death of Shubhkaran Singh.

In a special leave petition filed in the top court, the Haryana Government has challenged the March 7 order of the high court setting up a panel headed by retired HC judge Jaishree Thakur to probe the death of Shubhkaran Singh — a farmer — during a clash between protesting farmers and Haryana security personnel.

The committee will be assisted by ADGP (Punjab) Promod Ban and ADGP (Haryana) Amitabh Singh Dhillon, according to the order. Shubhkaran, a native of Bathinda, was killed and 12 police personnel injured in clashes at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21. The Punjab government had registered a murder case in a zero FIR in the matter. While hearing petitions on the farmers’ agitation, the high court had said it was a sad state of affairs that youngsters were “armed with lathis and at certain places with swords and spears and sharp-edged weapons” and children were “being exposed to violence”.

The investigation regarding the death of Shubhkaran, 21, cannot be entrusted solely either to Punjab or to Haryana for “reasons obvious as both states have several things to cover up”, the HC had said, posting the matter for further hearing on April 10.

The incident took place when some protesting farmers were trying to head towards barricades and were stopped by security personnel from crossing the state border and marching to Delhi.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the “Delhi Chalo” march to press the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price for crops and a farm loan waiver.

The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their “Delhi Chalo” march was stopped by the security forces.

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