“The SDM behind the Karnal lathi charge is nephew of a senior RSS functionary. The officer is the first commander of these Sarkari Taliban,” Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said while addressing a Kisan Maha Panachayat in Sirsa, Haryana.
He further demanded Karnal subdivisional magistrate (SDM) Ayush Sinha’s removal from service or suspension for ordering the police to ”smash” the heads of protesting farmers.
A murder case be registered against Sinha as several farmers had sustained severe injuries in the lathi charge, while one farmer Sushil Kajal died subsequently, Tikait urged authorities.
Last week, several farmers were assaulted by the police when they were attempting to reach and protest outside a hotel in Karnal, where the BJP leaders including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and state president OP Dhankar, had planned an internal party meeting to discuss strategy for the upcoming panchayat polls. The farmers had planned the protest as a part of their ongoing agitation against three agricultural laws passed by the parliament.
Karnal Duty Magistrate CAUGHT giving orders to the police men – if farmers cross the barricade, smash their heads.
He’s working under the orders of ML Khattar & Anil Vij.
BJP’s brutality has no limits.pic.twitter.com/3r49gmstt2
— Jas Oberoi | ਜੱਸ ਓਬਰੌਏ (@iJasOberoi) August 28, 2021
Officer Sinha who was posted at the check post near the meeting venue was caught on video briefing a bunch of police personnel. In the viral video clip, Sinha was heard instructing the policemen: “It’s very clear, there is no need for any instruction, just thrash them hard. If I see a single protester here, I want to see his head smashed… crack their heads.”
Amid growing pressure, the Haryana government on Wednesday issued his transfer orders and posted him as Additional Secretary, Citizen Resources Information Department (CRID). However, his transfer from the position of an SDM to Additional Secretary, CRID looks like a promotion, not punishment.