Farmers’ protest: Two days after 21-year-old farmer’s death, kin await ‘FIR’, autopsy

On February 21, a violent clash erupted between farmers and the Haryana police at Khanauri on Punjab-Haryana border, allegedly severely injuring Shubhkaran Singh, a 21-year-old protester from Bathinda’s Baloh village. The youth reportedly succumbed to his head injury on the way to Patiala’s Rajindra Hospital.

Farmers alleged Shubhkaran was shot in the head by a Haryana police bullet.  

Hours after the death of the youth, his kin and farmers’ leaders present at Rajindra Hospital demanded Rs 1 crore compensation, martyr status for Shubhkaran, and a government job for one of his family members. They also demanded that his postmortem be done before a committee of doctors and the registration of an FIR against the Haryana Police.

The farmers said they will not allow the authorities to conduct the postmortem unless their demands are fulfilled. 

Shubhkaran, who owned two and a half acres of land, was the sole bread earner of his family, his aunt Harpreet Kaur told Newslaundry. He is survived by his father, who is mentally unstable, his grandmother, and two sisters – one of whom is married and the other is a class 12 student. 

On February 23, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann posted on X that the state government will fulfil all the demands, including “appropriate legal action be taken against the culprits”. However, until 5 pm, no consensus was reached on the demand for an FIR against the Haryana police. 

Watch.

Newslaundry has been at ground zero since their agitation began. Watch this video on their demands, the police action, and the approach taken by the centre. 

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