Condoling the death of a 55-year-old farmer who sustained injuries during Haryana police’s lathi-charge on protesting farmers, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Sunday demanded the “immediate dismissal” of the Karnal sub-divisional magistrate Ayush Sinha who was seen instructing policemen to “crack” the heads of protesting farmers in a viral video.
In a statement signed by AIKS General Secretary Hannan Mollah, the farmers’ union alleged that 55-year- old Sushil Kajal “received severe blows in the atrocious police lathi charge” yesterday, and died of a “heart attack” last night.
“He was cremated at 11 am this morning, without any post mortem being performed. He was a regular participant in this farmers’ struggle right from the beginning. Sushil Kajal has become a victim of the bloodthirsty BJP-JJP state government of Haryana, which has waged a war on its own people by lodging false police cases on nearly 40,000 farmers, including two cases of sedition, in the last nine months of this historic farmers’ struggle,” the statement said. Reiterating its demand for the “immediate dismissal of the SDM Aayush Sinha,” AIKS demanded the government to give “institution of a case under IPC 302 (murder) against him.”
“It was he who gave orders to the police force deployed in Karnal to “break the heads” of the protestors. The video of him giving these orders has already gone viral,” the statement said. Demanding a judicial enquiry into the police “atrocities”, AIKS said “it is evident that the SDM could not have given such draconian orders without clearance from the top. The farmers yesterday were leading peaceful protests against a programme of BJP Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Karnal.”
The farmers’ union also compared the incident with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and said it was a “reminder of the orders of the hated British General Dyer.” The AIKS also requested the Supreme Court to take suo moto cognisance of the viral video of SDM Aayush Sinha and immediately punish all those guilty, “including the political leaders who were responsible.”
“Today, at the call of the SKM, there were massive protests in Haryana, Punjab and other states to denounce the police atrocities on farmers at Karnal yesterday. In view of Sushil Kajal’s martyrdom, the AIKS calls upon all its units to condemn this barbaric repression in Haryana by organising immediate protest demonstrations throughout the country,” the statement added. (ANI)
