Chandigarh, Mar 7 (UNI) The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday ordered a judicial
inquiry into the death of Shubhkaran Singh during the farmers' Delhi Chalo (march to Delhi) protest last month.
The 22-year-old youth died allegedly in clashes between the protesting farmers and police on February 21 at the Khanuari border between Haryana and Punjab.
The deceased farmer's family has claimed that he died after a Haryana police bullet hit him on the back of his head.
The bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) GS Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji, said that the investigation cannot be handed over to Punjab or Haryana "for obvious reasons" and constituted a three-member committee comprising a retired High Court judge and two officers of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) rank from Haryana and Punjab.
The court has asked the committee to submit its report within a month.
The court pulled up the agitating farmers for putting children in the frontlines of their protest and criticised Punjab and Haryana governments for failing to fulfil their responsibility properly.
During the hearing, the court displayed a stern attitude when the Haryana government showed several pictures of the protest. After seeing the pictures, the court said it was a shame that the protestors put children in the frontline.
The court said holding demonstration by keeping children in the frontlines, and that too with weapons,was not right. The court said such acts do not represent the culture of Punjab.
It said neither of the two states fulfilled its responsibility properly.
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