A protesting farmer has died at the Khanauri border in Haryana, where protesting farmers clashed with the police on Wednesday evening.

The deceased, Shubh Karan Singh, 23, was a resident of Bathinda. He was the son of Charanjit Singh, residents of village Valo in Bathinda district, said farmer leader Kaka Singh Kotra. His body has been kept at the Rajendra Hospital, Patiala. Owning 2 acres of land, his mother died early and he was raised by his grandmother. He had two sisters.

Shubh Karan Singh was taken to a hospital in Patiala, and a medical professional there stated that he had been shot at. An autopsy report is awaited.

The Haryana police, however, refuted the farmers’ group AIKS (All-India Kisan Sabha) allegations that he passed away during the police action. The farmers will still hold their sit-in protest; however, they have called off their two-day protest march to Delhi.
“Three patients have come to us from Khanauri. One of them was dead on arrival, the other two are stable and seem to have sustained bullet injuries… but it can’t be confirmed,” said Dr Rekhi, the Senior Medical Officer of Patiala’s Rajendra Hospital.

“The person who was dead on arrival had a bullet injury on his head, but more details such as size of the bullet can only be confirmed after postmortem,” he stated.

The farmers claimed that the Haryana Police had fired tear gas shells at them in an attempt to stop them from breaking through the border barricades.

Denying the death, the Haryana Police wrote on X,”According to the information received so far, no farmer has died today… This is merely conjecture. There are reports of one protestor who is receiving treatment at the Data Singh-Khanori border and two police officers who were hurt there”.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann confirmed the death. Describing how he was acting as the interlocuter, he said, “As soon as I came to know and saw the video, I got goosebumps, I felt very sad,” he told reporters.