The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered the Delhi Health Secretary to form a board of experts to examine the X-ray report of a 25-year-old farmer who died during the farmers’ protest rally here on the Republic Day.
Justice Yogesh Khanna also directed the doctors of Maulana Azad Medical College here to prepare the X-ray report from the original X-ray plate which has been received by Delhi Police from their Uttar Pradesh counterpart.
The court said the report be examined by the board comprising medical, forensic experts and also a radiologist among others. It posted the case for further hearing on April 14.
Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra, representing Delhi Police, said that they have shown CCTV footages connected with the incident to the family members and lawyers of the deceased, Navreet Singh.
Hardeep Singh, 69, grandfather of the deceased, had moved the High Court stating that the circumstances in which Navreet lost his life are “highly suspicious”.
The plea said “eyewitness statements corroborated by medical opinion does not rule out that the petitioner’s grandson was shot by policemen”.
However, the Delhi police has maintained that there are no bullet injuries. It had said that according to the post-mortem report, the young farmer died due to a head injury after the tractor overturned.
“Delhi Police has without any inquiry or investigation whatsoever, has hastily prejudged the cause of death by declaring that the petitioner’s grandson died in an accident and there were no bullets fired,” the petition said.
It also stated that, “As per statements made by eyewitnesses as well as opinion of two independent medical experts, Navreet Singh received firearm injury(ies) [bullet wound(s)] before he lost control of his tractor and hit police barricades”.
“As such, the petitioner’s grandson is possibly a victim of police brutality and unwarranted use of force, and the petitioner has a right to know the truth about his grandson’s death,” the plea said.
