Lakhimpur Kheri: The family of Gurvinder Singh (19), one of the protesting farmers who died in Lakhimpur Kheri Sunday, has refused to cremate him and demanded a second autopsy after the first one allegedly ruled out a bullet injury.
Speaking to ThePrint, Gurvinder Singh’s father Sukhwinder Singh said a decision on where the post-mortem examination will be conducted will be taken by the farmers’ union and the family members.
“The report, we have been told, does not show bullet injury, which is quite shocking as he died due to that. The report shows stomach injury etc. but makes no mention of bullet injury. We are all going to sit down and decide on the future course of action as he was clearly hit by a bullet,” Sukhwinder said.
Eight people were killed in the violence Sunday, which erupted during a farmers’ protest against Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra. The protesting farmers say four of these were farmers — they allege three died when they were run over by a car in the minister’s convoy, while the fourth, Gurvinder, was “shot” by the minister’s son Ashish Mishra. Gurvinder’s family alleges he was shot by someone in the minister’s convoy.
The minister has denied the allegations, saying neither he nor his son was present at the site. He said miscreants among the protesters first pelted stones on a BJP convoy that caused a car to overturn and crush two farmers.
The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The protesting farmers had agreed to an autopsy after reaching an understanding with the Uttar Pradesh government. According to sources, cremation of the three others farmers has been conducted.
Gurvinder Singh’s autopsy was conducted at Civil Hospital, Lakhimpur Kheri.
Reached for comment, Dr Shailendra Bhatnagar, the chief medical officer at the hospital, said the “panel has conducted post-mortem independently and if anyone has any issue then as per protocol they can approach the DM (district magistrate) who is authorised to constitute a new panel in case reexamination has to be done”.
“We have to ensure proper light, a panel and videography is done which is the standard protocol. We hand it over in a sealed document and can’t comment on the contents,” Dr Bhatnagar added.
ThePrint reached Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police Vijay Dhull through phone calls and messages for a comment on the allegations made by Gurvinder’s family, but there was no response till the time this report was published.
Also Read: Pain, anger in Lakhimpur Kheri as dead farmers’ kin cry ‘cold-blooded murder, Yogi’s gunda raj’
‘They shot him dead’
Maskeen Singh, a relative of Gurvinder, said Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) is set to come to Nanpara, a town 95 km from Lakhimpur city (the administrative capital of the district), following which a meeting will be held to decide on the future course of action.
A protesting farmer who didn’t wish to be identified said the “family wants the post-mortem to be conducted by doctors of another state”.
“It has been proposed to them that a team of doctors from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh can conduct a fresh post-mortem. It has been decided to wait for farm leader Rakesh Tikait, who, along with others, will finally decide what is to be done.”
The families are pressing for a thorough probe in the matter and action against the minister and his son, who has been booked for murder.
Speaking to ThePrint Monday, Sukhwinder Singh said his son was shot dead by members of the convoy.
“Barely 15 minutes before the protest concluded, a convoy of three cars approached us from behind and so none of us noticed them,” claimed Sukhwinder Singh. “The vehicles were speeding at 80 or 90 kmph and the roads are not made for such speed.
“Suddenly, they ran over a few of the protesters and we saw Monu Mishra (Ashish Mishra) was part of the convoy,” he alleged. “My son got hold of one of them in the convoy; that is when they shot him dead.”
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
Also Read: Drama after deaths in Lakhimpur Kheri — how UP cops stopped opposition from reaching spot