Chief Minister orders withdrawal of attempt to murder charges in dung dumping case, transfers SHO

HOSHIARPUR, Punjab—Following the blacklash from the farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday ordered withdrawal of Section 307 against Farm Laws protestors who dumped cow dung outside an ex-BJP minister’s house.

Captain Amarinder, who also holds the Home portfolio, has also ordered transfer of the SHO who had registered the `attempt to murder’ case, which is now being probed by a Special Investigative Team (SIT).

The Chief Minister said the SHO had gone overboard in registering a case under Section 307 of the IPC. “There was no attempt to murder,” he said, referring to the Hoshiarpur incident, in which a group of protestors had unloaded a trolley full of cow dung in front of former Punjab minister Tikshan Sud’s residence.

The dung was heaped as Sood mocked the farmers who are agitating on the borders of Delhi against three farmer laws promulgated by BJP-led union government. He stated that those who are going to Delhi to join the stir, are actually going for a picnic. He was facing a backlash from the people of Punjab for making this remark.

On the basis of the statement of a local BJP worker, the FIR states that the protesters attempted to kill the Minister with deadly weapons. Following which, the farmers opposed this FIR especially attempt to murder charges and even staged protest seeking cancellation of the FIR. Though the FIR was not cancelled, the attempt to murder charges were under pressure of the people.

 The farmers protesting against the FIR have hailed the withdrawal of the section 307, but reiterated that cancellation of the FIR would be the complete justice.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has termed as correct and justified the arrest of Punjabi singer Shree Brar for promoting gun culture in a music video. Promoting gangsterism and gun culture in this manner was absolutely wrong, he said, adding that the case had been registered correctly in the matter which related to an old song of the singer.

Captain Amarinder made it clear that the arrest had no connect with the singer’s video in support of the protesting farmers, which in fact was appreciable. However, his good work now could not condone the negative impact of his old song encouraging youth to pick up guns.

Noting that Punjab was a border state facing ongoing threats from across the border, the Chief Minister said “we will not allow the state’s peace to be disturbed in any manner”, which such acts had the potential to do.