Kisan Morcha expresses shock over Haryana CM's statement

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Expressing deep shock and objection over Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's defence of a "murderous official" in the state, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Monday gave a deadline of September 6 to the Haryana government to lodge a murder case against the SDM allegedly involved in the lathi charge incident.

"After facing serious injuries during the brutal lathi charge in Karnal district on August 28 during the protest against a Chief Minister's event there, Sushil Kajal succumbed to the same. The SKM reiterates the demand that the state government should immediately slap murder charges and file a case against SDM Ayush Sinha, in addition to dismissing him and all other officials involved in the unacceptable violence unleashed on peaceful protesters on Saturday," the SKM said in a release.

"It is utterly shocking that the Chief Minister of the state is choosing to brush aside the barbaric and illegal instructions as only a wrong choice of words. It once again clearly reiterates what we have been saying, which is that the Khattar-Chautala government is at war with its own people," the release said.

A video had gone viral of the SDM shouting out instructions to policemen to use force to stop the protesting farmers.

Khattar had told a press conference that the officer's "choice of words was not correct" but said, "if any action has to be taken (against the officer), it would first have to be assessed by the district administration."

Mobilisation efforts continue in various states and districts for the Kisan Mahapanchayat on September 5 in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.