Chandigarh/Karnal: The standoff between protesting farmers and Karnal district authorities ended on the fifth day of the impasse on Saturday after the Haryana government ordered a judicial probe into last month's clash between farmers and police and sent the IAS officer who is at the centre of a row over his remarks on leave.
Haryana Additional Chief Secretary Devender Singh said the probe will be conducted by a retired judge and will be completed within a month. Former SDM Ayush Sinha will remain on leave during the time, he said.
A joint press conference by Haryana government officials and farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni was held in Karnal after both sides reached an agreement, leading to the ending of the stand-off. The government agreed to initiate a probe against IAS Ayush Sinha, the then Karnal SDM, and also announced government jobs for two kin of a farmer who died, allegedly due to lathi-charge on August 28 during Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's visit to the city.
Singh also said that two family members of deceased farmer Sushil Kajal will get government jobs on DC rates against the sanctioned posts.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Gurman Singh Charuni who was also present in the press conference said the farmer unions were satisfied with the government's offers.
"We were pressing for FIR against Sinha besides his suspension. But our legal team was of the view that even if an FIR is registered, the SHO can absolve the SDM of allegations within a week. Even, the IAS officer can approach the High Court for quashing of the FIR. But if a case is registered based on a probe by a retired High Court judge, it will have greater importance," said Charuni.
He said as far as jobs on DC rates are concerned, the farmers have been told that though these posts are temporary and contractual, if these are against sanctioned posts, there are brighter chances of the person getting permanent employment later.
Charuni added that all unions affiliated with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha have given their consent to the lifting of the dharna before he participated in the joint press briefing with the administration.
Farmers had clashed with the police at Karnal on August 28 where they had assembled to hold a protest against a BJP event in which Khattar was to participate.
Some farmers were injured in the lathi-charge and Kajla later died of a heart attack.
While farmers had alleged that he suffered a heart attack due to injuries sustained in the lathi-charge, the government had refuted it.
Later, a video had gone viral in which Sinha was purportedly telling cops to "break the heads" of farmers who try to jump the barricades.
Farmers unions had given a deadline of September 6 for strong action, including the filing of a murder case, against Sinha, besides compensation for the victim farmers.
On September 7, the farmers had started to gherao the Karnal mini secretariat.