The opposition parties, Congress and Indian National lok Dal, on Monday demanded that the names of Dera Sacha Sauda sect followers who died in a police firing on August 25 following a CBI court’s verdict against sect chief, should be mentioned in the obituary resolutions.
Raising the issue during the obituary resolutions at the beginning of three days Assembly session, Haryana Congress legislature party (ClP) leader Kiran Chaudhary said that the names of more than 40 innocent people who lost their lives on August 25 in Panchkula and other places, should also be included in the obituary references.
INlD legislator, Parminder Singh Dhull backed the Congress’ demand and went onto compare the police firing at Panchkula on August 25 to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Responding to opposition’s demand, Speaker Kanwar Pal Gujjar assured that the names of such people would be included in the obituary resolutions.
The House then paid tributes to those who had lost their lives during violence in Panchkula and Sirsa.
Notably, the Manohar lal Khattar Government in Haryana drew flak from all quarters for mishandling the situation onAugust 25, which led to the large-scale violence in Panchkula within few hours in the aftermath of CBI court’s verdict against sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. While atleast 35 people were killed in Panchkula, six others had died in Sirsa.
The deaths took place in firing by security forces on the dera sect followers, who ran amok setting on fire government and private property as well as vehicles in Panchkula and Sirsa. According to the doctors who did autopsy of those killed in dera violence incident, all the agitators were hit by a bullet on the upper part of the body.
More than 260 were also wounded and property worth crores of rupees was damaged in the violence that broke out in Panchkula, where lakhs of dera followers had gathered ahead of court’s verdict.
INlD MlA Parminder Singh Dhull also said that besides the names of innocent people who died on August 25, the names of Jats who had died during last year’s reservation agitation should be included in the obituary references.
Adding to this, leader of opposition and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala said that names of 31 Jats who had died during last year’s quota agitation should be mentioned in the obituary references.
These 31 people were not rioters as the government has given a job and compensation to their families. Just like dera followers who died on August 25 in the police firing, tribute should be paid to the Jat youth who died last year in police firing during quota protest, he added.
On this, the Speaker assured that the names of these 31 people would also be included in the obituary references.
Meanwhile, the Haryana assembly on Monday paid tributes to several state leaders, freedom fighters and martyrs who lost their lives during the period between its last session and the current session.
Speaker Kanwar Pal, leader of the House and Chief Minister Manohar lal, INlD MlA Jaswinder Sandhu, ClP leader Kiran Chaudhry read out the obituary resolutions. The members of the House also observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to the departed souls.
Those who were paid homage in the House included Union Minister of State Anil Madhav Dave, MP Mahant Chand Nath Yogi, former MP Narain Singh, former Chief Parliamentary Secretar Jaleb Khan, former MlA Dr Brij Mohan Gupta, Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh.
Tributes were also paid to eight freedom fighters and the House also paid homage to 22 martyrs of Haryana who have made supreme sacrifices of their lives while safeguarding and protecting the unity and integrity of the motherland.