Punjab CM announces ₹1 crore, govt job for deceased farm protester’s family

Farmer leaders have not allowed the post-mortem of Shubh Karan Singh’s body, demanding aid and job to family of victim besides case against Haryana Police

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced ₹1 crore for the family of farm protester Shubh Karan Singh, who died in Haryana Police action at the Khanauri border on Wednesday.

Family members of farm protester Shubh Karan Singh, who died in Haryana Police action at Khanauri border on Wednesday, mourning at Balloh village in Bathinda district. (Sanjeev Kumar/HT)

Mann posted on X that the 21-year-old’s sister would be given a government job. “The Punjab government will provide financial help of ₹1 crore to the family of young farmer Shubh Karan and a government job to his younger sister. We are obeying our duties. Action will be taken against those responsible for the firing,” the chief minister said.

Shubh Karan, a teenage protester during the 2020-21 farm protests, became the first protester to die in the police action during this agitation. He died of injuries, which officials described as sustained from a “bullet”, without clarifying if it was a rubber or a normal bullet. His death is making it more difficult for the government and farmers to arrive at a settlement.

Soon after the death, farmers decided to stall the march for two days.

The protesting farmer leaders have not allowed the post-mortem of the body, demanding financial aid to the family of the victim.

The demand for compensation, job and registration of a case against the Haryana Police were the main demands in the absence of which the farmers have decided not to cremate Shubh Karan.

“We have decided to put our march to Delhi on hold till Friday (February 23) because a large number of protesters have been injured in police action and one has been killed. There are issues of cremation, treatment and compensation,” said Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha on Thursday.