Form of words:
Chandigarh: It is learned that the Haryana government will investigate against Karnal Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Aayush Sinha, who on Saturday came under criticism after he was filmed, allegedly against farmers protesting to the police. They were ordered to use violence and “behead their heads”. Stop them from breaking the circle.
A highly placed source in the Haryana Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) told ThePrint on Monday that Sinha would be probed for misconduct. The source said that after receiving the inquiry report, action would be taken against him if required.
“The government is in the process of finalizing the investigating officer,” the source said.
ThePrint reached out to Sinha, a 2018 batch IAS officer, via phone calls and messages for comment, but did not get revert till the time of publication of this report.
After the video of his purported instruction went viral, and reports Social media was stormed after the police lathicharge from the protest site. While several farmers have been injured in the lathi charge, the police have also accused the protesters of using violence. It is not yet known whether the lathi-charge took place at the same place where Sinha was posted, though the chief minister said on Monday that it took place at two different places.
The CMO official said the probe would, among other things, “look into the circumstances that led to the lathi-charge at the Bastar toll point in Karnal on Saturday.”
“The investigating officer will assess whether excessive force was used by the police during the lathi charge and whether it was provoked or unprovoked,” the officer said.
Other factors to be examined are “the effect of Sinha’s words on the police and if there was a lathi charge in place of Sinha in charge and whether the police actually hit the farmers on the head at that cordon point”.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on Monday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the lathi-charge and the video of Sinha “should not be linked”.
He said the incidents took place at different places, but added that the Director General of Police (DGP) is also probing Sinha’s remarks.
“The agitators and those who take law and order into their hands are not farmers but politically motivated people. The farmers of Haryana are happily working in their fields, they are the farmers of Punjab who are actually sitting on the Tikri and Singhu border,” he said, referring to the agricultural laws movement.
Read also: ‘Sinha one of the most talented’ – Karnal administration backs IAS officer who ordered ‘beheading’
Farmers demand compensation
To prevent Manohar Lal Khattar from reaching Karnal, protesting farmers had gathered on Saturday at the Bastar toll point, where they were to attend a function.
Sinha was in charge of the siege closest to the venue.
alleged lathi charge Several protesters injured, and farmer leaders Claim A farmer died of a heart attack later in the day.
Through a statement issued that day, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order Navdeep Singh Virk said that at least 10 police personnel were also injured when the agitating farmers turned aggressive and started pelting stones at them.
“The agitating farmers were trying to go to Karnal, but when the police force told them they could not do so, they attacked the police with stones and even agricultural implements. After which the police had to use mild force,” Virk said.
He said the farmers’ unions had assured in June that their protest would not be aggressive, adding that there have been many instances where farmers have resorted to violence during their protests. He said that if a protest turns violent, it is the duty of the police to maintain law and order.
Meanwhile, a Kisan Mahapanchayat Held in Gharaunda grain market In Karnal on Monday, Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Gurnam Singh Chaduni demanded that a murder case be registered against Sinha and other officials who ordered the lathi charge.
The farmers have also demanded Rs 2 lakh each for the injured and Rs 25 lakh for the family of the farmer who was allegedly killed that evening. He also said that “over 100” cases registered by the police for violence against farmers should be withdrawn.
Chaduni said that if the government does not fulfill these demands by September 6, the farmers will gherao the Karnal administrative complex on September 7.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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