File FIR against Haryana home minister for firing on farmers: LoP

Chandigarh; Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, requested on Saturday that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, file an FIR against Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij for "giving the police direction to fire at peacefully protesting farmers in Punjab's territory."

Speaking to the media here, Bajwa claimed that the police opened fire at the farmers with Vij's direction. "Consequently, farmer Shubhkaran Singh was shot dead and several dozens of others were injured."

Bajwa said that Mann "failed to protect" the farmers of the Punjab.

"Punjab Police should have been deployed at the frontline and farmers should have been made to stand 1,000 yards away from the border to provide them a shield. Haryana Police should have acted only when the farmers would have entered the Haryana territory," he added.

The Congress leader said that Mann "didn't stand with the farmers honestly".

"Ninety-two Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and ministers never supported the genuine demands of the farmers. The Punjab CM represented the Union government in meetings between farmers and the Union government. As many as 250 farmers were injured and one farmer was murdered by Haryana Police by using tear gas shells, rubber bullets and double-barrel guns. However, the Punjab government has failed to hold anyone responsible," Bajwa added.

With inputs from IANS