Gurugram: The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Haryana is on a sticky wicket over its recommendation of six police officers for the President’s Medal for Gallantry for stopping Punjab farmers marching to Delhi at the Punjab-Haryana border in February this year.
Union Ministry of Home Affairs has now asked Haryana for “firing details of all recommendees” — six police officers, including three from the Indian Police Service — and the disposal status of criminal cases against the agitators in the applications for the gallantry medals. The state government has always maintained that there was no police firing to stop protesting farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri borders from moving towards the national capital.
The home ministry has also raised questions over Haryana’s mentioning in its proposal that the police action to stop farmers was not a joint operation, since personnel of Rapid Action Force (RAF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) were also involved.
“It is requested to furnish combined performa/citation, firing details of all recommendees, disposal/status of criminal cases against agitators and correct information regarding joint operation to the Ministry urgently…,” the home ministry wrote in two separate letters to Haryana’s Principal Secretary (Home).
ThePrint has accessed the copies of the letters dated 8 July.
The Haryana government had sent six names in two separate proposals. They included three IPS officers — Sibas Kabiraj (Inspector General of Police, Karnal), Jashandeep Randhawa (Superintendent of Police, Kurukshetra) and Sumit Kumar (Superintendent of Police, Jind) — and three deputy SPs — Amit Bhatia, Narender Singh and Ram Kumar.
A source in Haryana’s Home Department said that the ministry’s response seeking further details has left the Chief Minister Nayab Saini-led government in a quandary because the farmers’ organisations had alleged that the police had fired bullets on them, which led to the death of a 21-year-old farmer, but the government has denied the claim all along.
According to the source, the state government has not been able to draft any response to the home ministry so far.
The Print reached out to Haryana Chief Principal Secretary Rajesh Khullar and Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Anurag Rastogi for a comment, but the calls and WhatApp messages went unanswered.
In a post on X on 17 July, Devinder Sharma, an author and researcher, specialised in agricultural policy, wrote, “Gallantry award recommendation to police officers for stopping farmers from marching to Delhi. At this rate, Haryana should have by now awarded the Karnal SDM who had asked police personnel to smash the heads of agitating farmers!!”
Speaking to ThePrint, Sharma remarked that there could be no bigger joke with the people of this country than rewarding cops responsible for using barbaric means against the farmers who feed the country.
Calling the Haryana government’s decision “the most unfortunate”, Sharma said that gallantry awards are supposed to be given to police officers for preventing crime or arresting criminals or the nation’s enemies.
“Does this mean that the BJP government considers farmers the country’s enemies? Or does the government consider them criminals? If this is the case, the government should confer Bharat Ratna or at least Padma Vibhushan on the former Karnal sub-divisional magistrate, who had directed the police to break the heads of farmers during the farmers’ agitation,” he added.
In September 2021, when farmers were protesting against the now-scrapped farm laws, the then Karnal SDM, Ayush Sinha, was heard instructing the police to “break the heads” of the farmers in a viral video.
Farmer unions oppose the recommendation
Farmer groups from Haryana have also demanded the withdrawal of the state government’s recommendation of the police officers for the awards.
They have alleged that the state government wanted to reward officers for using force towards peacefully demonstrating farmers at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders with Punjab.
In a memorandum submitted to the government, the farmer unions have described this as a “Jantantra Virodhi” (undemocratic) step.
Leaders of these groups in Haryana Sunday met Chief Principal Secretary Khullar on his invitation for talks to end the logjam between farmers and the state government.
While a majority of the farmers’ demands were related to agriculture, they also sought the revocation of the CM Saini-led government’s gallantry awards recommendation and the withdrawal of the charges under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Neelam Azad, the Haryana woman who was arrested for the Parliament security breach in December last year.
Prahlad Singh Bharukhera, president of the Haryana Kisan Manch, said that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered a judicial inquiry against Haryana Police in March this year for their alleged involvement in the killing of 21-year-old farmer Shubhkaran Singh during the February 2024 police action.
“The state moved the Supreme Court against the high court order, but its plea was rejected. Now, Haryana wants to confer gallantry medals on cops, who were responsible for an action that not only resulted in Shubhkaran’s death, but also led to injuries to hundreds of farmers. The Haryana government has treated its farmers as criminals and enemies,” Bharukhera claimed.
Rattan Mann, state president of Bhartiya Kisan Union — headed at the national level by Naresh Tikait — said that felicitating cops with medals for using force against peacefully protesting farmers amounts to “rubbing salt into the wound”.
Speaking to ThePrint, Mann reiterated the farmer union’s demand for the withdrawal of the recommendations.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
Also Read: ‘Jungle raj’ — Haryana traders, Oppn lash out at BJP govt over spate of firings & extortion calls