CHANDIGARH: Terming it 'unnecessary', the Haryana government has cancelled the notification regarding the constitution of the one-man judicial commission set up by it to probe the violence including police lathi-charge on protesting farmers at
Bastara toll plaza in Karnal on August 28.
The state home department has issued a notification dated January 5 signed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajeev Arora which reads, "The state government is of the opinion that the existence of Commission of Inquiry constituted by the Haryana Government, Home Department notification No.3/1/2021-1HC, dated September 25, 2021 is unnecessary; Now therefore in exercise of powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section(1) and sub-section (2) of Section 7 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1952 (Central Act 60 of 1952) the governor of Haryana hereby ceases the commission of inquiry constituted vide aforesaid notification."
The Haryana government had earlier constituted a one-man commission of inquiry, headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice SN Aggarwal. The commission was to inquire into the circumstances leading up to and including the action by police at Karnal on August 28 and the use of force against the farmers. It was to find out the persons responsible for the violent situation and inquire into the role of the then Karnal Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ayush Sinha who was purportedly heard in a video instructing policemen to smash the heads of the farmers if they tried to breach the barricades. At that time, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had admitted that the choice of words by Sinha was not right.
Sources said that at that time, police had registered cases on the farmers. The commission of inquiry was constituted as the farmers sat on a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner Office in Karnal and only lifted it after the assurance that a
judicial probe will be ordered.
Sources said that the decision to withdraw the inquiry commission was taken as the state government has already announced the withdrawal of cases registered against the farmers and the Union government has also repealed the three farm laws.