Singhu Lynching: Plea in SC seeking removal of protesting farmers from Delhi borders

A day after a man's mutilated body was found tied by a police barricade in Haryana's Sonipat near the farmers' protest site at the Singhu border, an application has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking urgent hearing of a petition to remove framers, who are demonstrating against Centre's three farm laws, from Delhi borders. 

A 35-year-old man, Lakhbir Singh, from Tarn Taran district in Punjab, was found tied to a barricade with one of his arms chopped off near the Singhu border on Friday. His body was mutilated with over 10 injuries caused by sharp weapons.

Citing Friday's incident, a fresh petition has been filed before the apex court for an urgent hearing of the PIL (Public interest litigation), pending since March 2021, saying "The right to freedom of speech and expression cannot supersede the right to life and if this protest is allowed to go in like this, the nation at large will be at a loss."

The plea filed by Swati Goel and Sanjeev Newar has sought that protests should be halted and directed states and Union Territories to not allow any demonstration till the pandemic is over. "A protest which in itself is illegal cannot be continued when it is witnessing anti-humanitarian acts. The protest has seen many unforeseen and unacceptable things including the tractor rally on Republic Day, rape of a woman and its cover-up at the site and murder of Lakhbir Singh on Dussehra," the PIL stated.

'Risking lives of millions of people'

At a time when celebrating festivals is banned, schools and colleges are shut, permitting such protests will do no good, it added. "Protestors are not only putting their life at risk but of millions of people of India and such a prolonged agitation cannot be allowed especially during ongoing pandemic since prolonged protests on public places are not only a clear violation of Supreme Court rulings but is violating Right of Life of others who are directly or indirectly affected by the said protests," the application stated.

Meanwhile, the apex court is also hearing a separate petition from one Monicca Agarwaal, a Noida resident. She had sought the removal of barricades claiming that it earlier took 20 minutes to reach the national capital. However, now it takes more than two hours due to protests on the Delhi border.

Farmers protest

The farmers are demonstrating against the Centre's three farm laws for the last 10 months. Initially, the protests began in Punjab in November 2020 but later spread to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Several rounds of talks have taken place between farmers and the Centre but an impasse remains.

(With PTI inputs)