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"Shubhkaran was walking five steps ahead of me when a bullet hit his head from behind," Charanjeet Singh — father of 21-year-old Shubhkaran Singh who died allegedly during police action amid the ongoing farmers' protest — claimed in a police complaint filed on 28 February.
Based on Charanjeet's complaint an FIR was registered under sections 302 (murder) and 114 (punishment for abetment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Patran police station in Patiala, Punjab.
"On 21 February, at around 11 am, several of us (protesting farmers) tried to cross the barricades to follow the call to march towards Delhi. But the Haryana Police blocked the road with smoke balls and tear gas. On the instructions of the farmer leaders, we went back 100-150 meters and stood in the fields but the police started firing bullets. Then, we tried to run back to our trolleys. At that time, Shubhkaran was just five steps ahead of me when a bullet hit his head from behind," Charanjeet claimed in the FIR.
A resident of Bathinda's Ballo village, Shubhkaran died due to an injury on the back of his head, which doctors at Patiala's Rajendra Hospital said looked like a a "bullet" injury.
He was one of the farmers protesting at the Haryana-Punjab Khanauri Border over the demand for a Minimum Support Price guarantee law.
Shubhkaran's Father, Charanjeet Singh further alleged in the FIR that soon after his son was shot, he fell to the ground and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
"About an hour later, we received a call informing our family members in the village that Shubhkaran was dead," Charanjeet claimed.
The Delay
The delay in filing the FIR in connection with this case was attributed to jurisdiction-related issues by the Punjab Police.
While Shubhkaran's family was insisting against filing an FIR in Haryana, senior officials in the Punjab Police said that the area where Shubhkaran was injured lies under the jurisdiction of Haryana's Jind district.
According to the FIR, on 21, 22, and February, officers from Jind's Garhi Police Station visited Rajendra Hospital where Shubhkaran's body was kept for post-mortem. The family, however, refused to let the Haryana Police investigate the matter.
On 28 February, Shubhkaran's father submitted a written complaint to the Patran Police Station, where the FIR was finally registered.
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