Haryana govt appoints commission to probe into Karnal incident

Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], September 22 (ANI): The Government of Haryana has appointed Justice Somnath Agrawal (Retd.) of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as the Commission of inquiry to ensure an impartial and transparent inquiry into the incident that took place at Bastada Toll Plaza in Karnal on August 28, 2021.

This decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting held here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

This comes after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) ended the four-day-long gherao of the Karnal Mini Secretariat on September 11 after the Haryana government agreed to suspend Karnal Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ayush Sinha who was seen asking policemen to hit protesting farmers on their heads in a viral video.

The state government had also agreed for a judicial inquiry under a retired High Court Judge who will look into the role of the Karnal SDM in the police violence which allegedly "resulted in the death of one farmer and injury to countless others."

"Farmers gave a historic lesson that the administration cannot act with impunity against peacefully protesting farmers. The four-day-long gherao of the Karnal Mini Secretariat ended today after the BJP-JJP government accepted the farmers' demands. The Khattar Government agreed to suspend Ayush Sinha, the official who ordered the breaking of farmers' heads on August 28," the statement of SKM had said. (ANI)