Farmers Movement Archive

Medical board to examine X-ray of farmer who died during R-Day clashes in Delhi

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Wednesday directed the Delhi health secretary to constitute a medical board comprising a forensic expert and a radiologist of Maulana Azad Medical College to prepare and examine an X-ray report of a protesting farmer who died allegedly after his speeding tractor overturned the anti-farm bill agitators’ January 26 rally.Justice Yogesh Khanna told the Delhi health secretary that the team would prepare the report from X-Ray plates, which the Uttar Pradesh government would hand over. The Delhi government standing counsel (criminal), arguing for the Delhi Police, told the court they have shown the victim’s family and lawyers CCTV footage of the incident.The high court was hearing a plea filed by the victim Navreet Singh’s grandfather, Hardeep Singh, claiming that the deceased farmer suffered gunshot injuries to his head. Hardeep Singh’s plea said the victim had been shot by the police, because of which he lost control of the tractor. However, both the Delhi and UP police have told the court that Navreet did not suffer any gunshot wounds, and claimed that the man died under the tractor after it overturned.The victim’s autopsy was conducted at Rampur district hospital in UP.Delhi Police had on February 26 told the court that while they had asked the UP Police to hand over the original X-Ray plate and post-mortem video, Rampur police and the district hospital said they would do so only on if the court ordered..The UP Police counsel and hospital’s chief medical officer said told the court they did not have the X-Ray report but only the X-Ray plate and autopsy report, which they said they would share with the Delhi Police if so decided by the court.The petitioner’s counsel, Soutik Banerjee, had earlier contended that the Delhi Police had conducted itself in a manner that “does not inspire a shred of confidence”. According to the police, the man had died as his tractor overturned at ITO where many farmers participating in the tractor parade had reached from the Ghazipur border after taking a detour of the pre-agreed route for the march.Navreet was the only protestor who had died during the farmers’ tractor rally on R-Day. On January 26, thousands of protesting farmers who reached ITO from the Ghazipur border clashed with police.

Hindustan Times

17-03-2021

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