A protestor camping at the Tikri border has succumbed to burn injuries after fellow protestors allegedly set him ablaze at the protest site on Wednesday. Villagers say that this was a conspiracy to make him appear a ‘martyr’ against the farm laws.

According to journalist Amish Devgan, the protestors, who are illegally squatting at the public roads and grounds along the Tikri border to protest against the farm reforms, set a fellow protestor on fire over a dispute. The deceased person had consumed intoxicants with the protestors, who set him ablaze later after picking a fight, said the journalist.

The 42-year-old person from Kasar village, identified as Mukesh, has succumbed to burn injuries, said Amish Devgan.

As per reports, casteist slurs were hurled towards Mukesh after which he was set on fire. A video of him being set on fire has gone viral on social media where one can hear casteist abuses being thrown at him before he was set ablaze.

The Haryana Police have registered a case against culprits based on the statement of the deceased person’s brother. The case has been registered under IPC sections – 302 (murder), said the police officials.

Haryana Police officer Jaibhagwan said that the deceased had been to a farmers’ protest where he was set ablaze. According to his brother, the victim had named some people. The police said that they suspect that the accused are from Jind. Postmortem has been done, and the further probe will be done based on available details, the police officer added.

Details of the case

The incident took place at Kasar village near Bahardurgarh in Haryana. During wee hours on Thursday at 3 AM, some protesting ‘farmers’ at the border splashed fuel on Mukesh and set him on fire. He was immediately rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to the burn injuries.

As per police complaint by one Madan Lal, on Wednesday at around 5 PM, Mukesh had gone out and reached the protesting farmers’ site. Madan Lal later got to know that Mukesh was set on fire. He reached the site along with Sarpanch Toni Kumar and saw Mukesh being badly burnt.

During his treatment at hospital, Mukesh revealed that one Krishna first got him intoxicated and then set him on fire. However, he later succumbed to injuries.

Sarpanch demands removal of protesting ‘farmers’ over safety concerns

The Sarpanch of the village, Toni Kumar requested the administration to move the protesting ‘farmers’ away as they do not feel safe.

“These farmers should be moved away so that our mothers and daughters are safe. They come in group of four to urinate even though there is no toilet here. They move around shamelessly in fields. Sometimes they come in mob of 20. They play loud music all night long and drink. It has been six months now. We do not feel safe,” he said.

In the above video shared on Facebook by a page Sansar Kranti, one can hear the villagers say that casteist language was used against Mukesh. One villager also said how Krishan, one of the protesting ‘farmers’ said what is his problem if Mukesh dies, he would become a martyr (against the farm laws) and will get compensation. “Why bother saving him,” he said.

The villager further questioned the protesting farmers on resorting to such violence to get their things done. “If you really want to do something for someone, why don’t you do it in your own capacity. Why do you have to commit a crime, like killing/ someone in the guise of cause for farmers and then make him a martyr to get him some compensation,” they tell the reporter.

Farmer protest site has turned into a crime hot spot

This is not the first time that such crime incidents are being reported from the ‘farmer’ protests site along the borders surrounding the national capital. The ‘farmer’ protests site has lately turned out to be a crime hotspot as several allegations of rape, murder have surfaced from the site in the last few months.

In April, a 26-year-old anti-farm law protestor was murdered by a fellow farmer protestor near Kasar village near the Tikri border in Delhi. The victim has been identified as Gurpreet Singh, who was protesting against farm laws at the Tikri border. Singh was murdered by a fellow protestor Ranbir Singh alias Satta Singh over a monetary dispute.

Similarly, on March 25, a 60-year-old farmer named Hakam Singh was found dead with a slit throat. According to the police, Singh was murdered using a ‘sharp-edged weapon’. His dead body was discovered by other anti-farm law protestors in a field behind the new bus stand at the Tikri border. Incidents of rape have also been reported.