Jahanvi Agarwal
A plea was filed on 22nd February 2024 with the Punjab & Haryana High Court, urging for a judicial inquiry by a retired judge into the tragic death of a 22-year-old man at the Khanauri border crossing in Sangrur district, along with the violent acts by security forces during the farmer’s protest.
Shubhkaran Singh, a farmer from Punjab, tragically lost his life due to a head injury on February 21st at the Khanauri border crossing when Haryana security personnel employed teargas shells as farmers initiated their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march to advocate for a Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee.
The application, presented by Harinder Pal Singh Ishar through his counsel Pardeep Kumar Raparia, is awaiting a hearing. Ishar is intervening in the primary Public Interest Litigation (PIL) under consideration by the High Court. The next hearing for the main PIL is scheduled for 29 February, 2024.
“It is deeply regrettable that while police often cite jurisdictional constraints to evade investigations, the Haryana police and paramilitary forces have resorted to terrorizing protestors, even breaching the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab,” the application states. “The indiscriminate use of pellet guns on peacefully assembled farmers, who posed no threat while being within Punjab’s boundaries, blatantly reveals a lack of prudence and an evident agenda to intimidate the protestors,” it further emphasizes.
Moreover, Ishar has urged for directives to prohibit the police and paramilitary personnel from using tear gas, bullets, or pellet guns on protesters. He criticized the Union Government’s purported negotiations with farmer unions, asserting that the actions of Haryana Police and paramilitary forces contradicted these negotiations by firing tear gas shells, pellet guns, and even direct gunshots at peaceful farmers within Punjab.
Additionally, Ishar raised concerns about the suppression of social media handles that supports the protests and questioned the silence of Punjab Police and the state administration regarding jurisdictional violations. He highlighted the lack of official communication from Punjab’s Director General of Police (DGP) or Chief Secretary regarding objections raised with counterparts regarding the excessive use of force within Punjab’s jurisdiction, labelling their silence as dereliction of duty.