Farmer leader takes on Punjab govt for not filing FIR on death of youth, criticises ‘unclear’ stance

Shambhu Border (Haryana) [India] : The General Secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher on Friday targetted Punjab government for not filing an FIR on the death of farmer youth at the Khanauri Border during the ongoing protests.

He said that the way the Punjab government is ‘insulting the martyrdom of our martyrs’ is condemnable.

Pandher questioned the delay in filing the FIR though all the deamands were accepted during the talks.

“Talks were being held with the Punjab Government on the death of Shubhkaran Singh. All our demands were accepted, that a case under Section 302 (murder) be filed against those who attacked, that the Punjab Government give the status of ‘martyr’ to Shubhkaran Singh, that discussions on compensation be held with his family, and that a Board will be constituted for his postmortem and its videography will be done. It has been more than 14 hours now but the Punjab Government is not giving any answer,” the farmer leader said.

“When you give trust, why don’t they live up to the trust? Either there is some problem with the officers. Only they can know what is problem or where is the issue. Now, Shubhkaran Singh’s body is lying in the hospital. Punjab Government is insulting the martyrdom of our martyrs, this is condemnable,” Pandher said.
He further lashed out at the government for inaction while calling out the ‘brutal acts of the forces’ on the farmers.
“They are saying that the site of the incident will have to be investigated – whether it is located in Punjab or Haryana. Now the matter is stuck on this, they are talking like this. Some officers committed brutal acts, fired live bullets, and threw gases, and rubber bullets at our farmers. But no one is ready to take any action,” Pandher said.

“Senior officers also tell us that no evidence is required for the first FIR, we do it first and then start the investigation but the Punjab government is not ready to file an FIR against them,” he added.

The farmer leader further questioned the Punjab government’s stance on the protest.
“Our Chief Minister is saying that the central government is putting pressure on us, that they will break the government, they will impose 356. Let them, I don’t care, we said that, it is very good. On one hand, they are saying that we are with you, we stand with the farmers and labourers, their right to protest, and the Punjab government will not do anything and all. Then where barricading has been done, the bridge which the villagers are moving is in the territory of Punjab, why did you not give any explanation for that? Why not make it clear,” Pandher said.

“Is this a joint operation happening? Whenever we were moving forward on the 21st, your tippers were deployed, and they were blocking our way, tippers are still deployed, if you want to divert the traffic then you can do it from wherever you want, and that’s fine. So the second thing is that you stopped us while coming to the langar, why did you do this that day?,” he asked.

“Now, we are unable to perform the last rites of Shubhkaran Singh, as of now the talks with the Punjab Government are not completed,” he added.

The farmers’ protest has been put on a halt for two days following the incident of death and serious injuries.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said the protesting farmers led by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) will observe a ‘Black Friday’ on Friday following the death of a farmer at Khanauri Border crossing in Sangrur district, Punjab, during the ongoing protests.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Arjun Munda said that the Central Government is dedicated towards the welfare of the farmers and trying to resolve the issue through dialogue. He further said that the Agriculture Ministry is working on the concerns raised by the Farmers’ associations.

The ongoing farmers’ agitation has prompted the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) to call for inclusive dialogue from stakeholders across the agricultural sector.

The protesting farmers have been camping at the Shambhu border near Ambala since the start of the protest. Several farmers and police personnel were injured in the clashes during the March that started on February 13.