The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday ordered a judicial probe, involving a retired High Court judge, into the death of farmer Shubhkaran Singh during the ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest on February 21.
The division bench of acting Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji, hearing public interest litigations seeking a judicial inquiry into the matter, orally observed that the investigation into the death cannot be given to either Haryana or Punjab for obvious reasons.
“Hence, the judicial probe will be conducted by a retired high court judge and two officers, including Additional Director General of Police-rank officers from Punjab and Haryana.”
Justice Sandhawalia also came down heavily upon the petitioners when counsel for Haryana showed pictures of protesting sites.
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“Children were being used as a shield, this is absolutely shameful. It is a sad state of affairs, children who are supposed to study in school are shown what they should not be. It was a war-like situation,” he orally remarked.
The bench also questioned the Haryana government on what kind of bullets and pellets were being used on protestors and asked them to give details in this regard.
Shubhkaran Singh, a farmer from Bathinda district in Punjab, was cremated in his native village last week after the Punjab Police registered a zero FIR in connection with his death. The victim’s father Charanjit Singh had told the media that a bullet fired from the Haryana side hit Shubhkaran Singh, who was walking right ahead of him, on the head. (IANS)
