FIR lodged on Shubkaran's death, last rites to be performed today: Pandher

The general secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher, said that the last rites of Shubkaran Singh, who died during the protests, will be performed on Thursday as the police have lodged an FIR in the case.

"Today is the 17th day of the march at the Khanauri and Shambhu borders. We have received the information that an FIR has been lodged under sections 302 and 114 of the IPC (in the death of Shubhkaran Singh)," Pandher said while speaking to ANI on Thursday.

"Also today we will take the body of the deceased (Shubhkaran Singh) to the Khanauri Border, and his (Shubhkaran Singh) last rites will be performed at his native village," the farmer leader said.

The farmer leader criticised the Center for putting up military-like resistance against the farmers, saying that the 'intentions are not good'.

"The manner in which forces of around 70,000 soldiers were put up against us (farmers) in Haryana. I would say the centre's intentions are not good. If the intentions and policies of the centre had been sincere, then we could have reached a peaceful solution," he said.

"The centre does not want to give anything to the farmers. The centre wants to cheat the farmers. It wants to bring the farmer leaders together and make them settle the farmer's movement on some minor settlements regarding our demands," the farmer leader added.

The farmers had earlier refused to perform the last rites of the deceased farmer until an FIR was lodged against Haryana police.

Shubhkaran Singh died of an injury to the back of his neck while protesting at the Khanauri border, prompting farm leaders to suspend talks with the Center.

Another farmer died on February 24 amid the ongoing protests, raising the death toll to four.

To press the Center to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and a farm debt waiver, the farmers have been camping at the border points since February 13 along with their tractor-trolleys, mini-vans, and pickup trucks.