Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said he was saddened by the death of a young farmer on the Punjab-Haryana border and asserted that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for it.
"After postmortem, a case will be registered. Those officials responsible for his death will have to face stringent action," said Mann in a video message this evening.
Subhkaran Singh (21) died at Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border.
He was killed and a few others were injured on the Punjab-Haryana border as protesters resumed their 'Delhi Chalo' agitation, with the Haryana Police firing tear gas shells to thwart attempts to breach barricades at Shambhu and Khanauri border points.
On Subhkaran's death, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a post on X in Hindi, wrote, "The death of Punjab's young man Subhkaran is very sad.' 'Was it for this very day that we fought for freedom, that one day the governments elected by us in our own country will martyr our own sons like the British? We are completely with Subhkaran and will ensure strict punishment to his murderers," said Kejriwal.
पंजाब के नौजवान शुभकरण की मौत बेहद दुखदाई है। क्या इसी दिन के लिए हमने आज़ादी की लड़ाई लड़ी थी कि एक दिन अपने ही देश में हमारे द्वारा चुनी हुई सरकारें हमारे ही बेटों को अंग्रेजों की तरह शहीद कर देगी? हम पूरी तरह शुभकरण के साथ हैं और उनके क़ातिलों को कड़ी सज़ा दिलवायेंगे। https://t.co/pZzkgZr5qo
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 21, 2024
Mann said law and order is under control. However, in reference to the Khanauri incident, he accused the Haryana Police of disturbing law and order.
Mann also asked why can't farmers go to the national capital pertaining to their demands.
"Why Haryana stopped them? They reached Haryana borders in a peaceful manner, had Haryana government not stopped them, they could have headed to national capital where they would have held a peaceful protest," said Mann.
The Centre could have given them a place to protest in the national capital, he added.
Targeting the BJP-led government at the Centre, Mann said from January 22, 2021, what was the Modi government doing regarding farmers' demands.
Had they talked to them in three years, this situation would not have arisen, he said.
Farmer leaders had rejected a proposal by the Central government in the fourth round of talks between the two sides to break the deadlock and announced that thousands of Punjab farmers camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points would resume their agitation on Wednesday morning.
Earlier in the day, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, who is among the three central ministers engaging with the farmer leaders, called for further talks and appealed to the protesters to maintain peace.