NEW DELHI, Sept 11: The tussle between agitating farmers and district administration of Karnal in Haryana ended on Saturday with the state government and the farmers’ unions reaching an amicable settlement.
In the fourth round of meeting between the two sides on Saturday morning, the state government has assured farmer union leaders that an inquiry committee would be constituted under the chairmanship of a retired judge who would conduct a probe into the August 28 Karnal incident and the role of IAS officer Ayush Sinha.
Till the completion of the inquiry, Sinha will remain on leave.
The government also assured farmers that two family members of the farmer Sushil Kajal (the farmer who died after the August 28 police lathicharge at Bastara toll plaza) would be given government jobs.
Although the farmers had also been demanding financial compensation for Kajal’s family, no such assurance was given as of now.
After the meeting, a senior IAS officer Devender Singh, and farmer union leaders led by Gurnam Singh Chadhuni, held a joint press conference in Karnal where it was announced that the dharna was being called off.
“The state government has accepted our demand that the IAS officer’s role will be probed by a retired high court judge so that if he indicts the officer, it will have a bigger impact,” Chadhuni said. Devender Singh said, “Farmers are our brothers. We have reached a respectable and amicable solution on all the demands that were raised.”
(Manas Dasgupta)