Delhi HC directs UP police to give post mortem report of farmer, who died during tractor rally

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued direction to the Uttar Pradesh police to give an original post mortem report of the 25-year-old farmer, who died during the tractor rally on January 26 in the national capital.

A Single-Judge Bench of Justice Yogesh Khanna asked Uttar Pradesh police to provide both the original documents to the Delhi Police on March 5 and said that the document shall be retained in safe custody.

The Court listed the matter for further hearing on March 17.

The Court was hearing a plea-seeking court-monitored probe into the death of a farmer Navreet Singh, who died during the tractor rally on January 26 in the national capital. The family had approached Delhi High Court and raised several questions on the death and sought a post mortem video and X-ray report of the deceased.

The plea alleged that the cause of death was by bullet injury but, according to the Delhi Police, Navreet Singh died in the accident after the tractor he was driving overturned after ramming into a barricade near ITO in Delhi.

Lawyer for petitioner Advocate Vrinda Grover submitted that various medical/forensic experts who have reviewed the description of injuries in the post mortem report have independently made statements reported by various media houses, opining that the injuries are consistent with firearm/gunshot wounds and that the said injuries could not have resulted from the tractor overturning, as has been repeatedly asserted and announced by the Delhi police including senior officers, the Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Police.

The plea moved by the grandfather of the deceased has stated that he has sufficient reason to mistrust and not accept the hasty, unverified and self-serving conclusion of the Delhi Police, which has publicly and without any investigation stated that the death of his grandson was a motor vehicle accident.

According to the Delhi Police, Navreet Singh died in the accident after the tractor he was driving overturned after ramming into a barricade near ITO.

Delhi Police and UP Police told the Delhi High Court that the cause of death of Navreet Singh, a farmer who died on January 26, is shock and haemorrhage as a result of ante-mortem head injury and not due to any gunshot injury.

Delhi Police had released CCTV footage showing the farmer's tractor overturning after ramming into barricades at ITO.

Protesters broke barricades to enter New Delhi and clashed with police in several parts of the national capital during the January 26 'tractor rally' protest orgsed by farmers.

The protestors also had entered the iconic Mughal era monument Red Fort and unfurled their flags from its ramparts.

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

( With inputs from ANI )