Image Courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The Delhi High Court has been informed that the death of Navreet Singh, a 25-year-old protesting farmer, during the tractor rally on Republic Day was not due to a gun-shot injury, but on account of shock and hemorrhage as a result of ante-mortem head injury, reported Bar & Bench.
The Single-judge Bench of Justice Yogesh Khanna had issued a notice to the State to file a status report on Navreet’s death on February 11. The Delhi Police had submitted before the court that it had “no hesitation” in sharing information/documents/electronic evidence collected.
According to Bar & Bench, on February 26, an affidavit was filed by the SHO, Police Station Bilaspur, Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, under whose jurisdiction the postmortem was conducted. It read, “…as per the opinion of the Panel of doctors conducting post-mortem, the cause of death of Navreet Singh is shock and hemorrhage as a result of ante-mortem head injury. The death is not due to any gunshot injury.”
On the issue of CCTV cameras from the site of the accident, the Delhi Police contended that the footage did not show any incriminating evidence against any police officer. The affidavit stated, “All the police as well as public witnesses have unequivocally stated that the death of Navreet was caused by the accident due to his dangerous driving as his tractor hit the barricade”, as per a B&B report.
Bar & Bench also said that the Delhi police blamed the fellow protesters who failed to assist in taking the injured to the hospital after his tractor overturned. “Two ambulances also reached the spot of accident but, the unruly and violent mob did not even allow them to take the injured to the hospital due to which timely medical aid was not provided”, the police’s report added.
The protesters, instead, started spreading rumours that the deceased was killed by the police in firing, alleged the Police. In the previous hearing on February 11, the petitioner, apprised the court that “injuries number 1 to 4 as stated in the post mortem report could only be caused by a bullet and not by an accident”.
The grandfather, through Advocate Vrinda Grover had also argued that there were many CCTV cameras installed near or at the spot of the incident, especially at Andhra Education Society and though the DVRs of such CCTV cameras have been seized by the Delhi Police, the footage had not been shared.
The matter will now be heard on March 4.
Related:
Farmer’s death on R Day: Delhi HC seeks status report from Police
Ensure safety of protesting farmers, stop propaganda against Sikhs: Plea in SC
Gov’t will not compensate families of farmers who died during protests: MHA