Confronted by farmers, BJP's Anil Vij says did not give order for police firing during Feb protest

Anil Vij. File pic

BJP leader Anil Vij on Tuesday said that he had not given any order for firing on protesting farmers at the Khanauri border point in February but as he was the state home minister at that time he takes responsibility for the incident.

Vij stated this after farmers stopped his car in village Panjokhara of Ambala Cantonment, where he had gone to campaign for BJP's Lok Sabha candidate Banto Kataria, and confronted him about the events that took place in February. The farmers told Vij that Shubhkaran Singh from Punjab was killed allegedly in police firing when farmers were protesting at the Khanauri border point in February during their "Delhi Chalo" march.

"I was the Home Minister. I cannot escape from responsibility," Vij told the group of farmers. When a farmer asked if he had ordered the firing on farmers, Vij said, "I am not saying so, all I am saying is that I was the Home Minister at that time...."

"Yes you can," Vij told a farmer at the site when he asked, "Should we get an FIR filed against you". Farmers also asked Vij why Haryana authorities had put up barricades at Khanauri and Shambhu border points to stop farmers when they wanted to head to Delhi in support of their demands in February this year. Vij tried to pacify them and told them, "You stopped me and I immediately stopped here to talk to you, I did not run like other leaders".

He told them that farmers are his brothers and because of them he has become MLA from Ambala Cantonment six times. Later, when the farmers calmed down, Vij left from there. "Kissano par goli kissi k bhi adesh say chali, mein uss samay greh mantri tha aur mein uski zimmewari leta hu (irrespective of who gave the firing orders at farmers, I was the Home Minister at that time and I take responsibility for that)," he later posted on X in Hindi.

Shubhkaran (21), a native of Bathinda, was killed and 12 security personnel were injured in clashes at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21. The incident occurred when some protesting farmers were trying to head towards police barricades, put up to halt their "Delhi Chalo" march.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha were spearheading the agitation to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee on minimum support price for crops and farm loan waiver. When the incident took place, farmers, mostly from Punjab, were taking part in the agitation and had been camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points.

(With inputs from PTI)