This Article is From Apr 23, 2015

Farmer's Death at AAP Rally: Delhi Police Submit Report to Home Ministry

Farmer's Death at AAP Rally: Delhi Police Submit Report to Home Ministry

This photo was taken just before Gajender Singh hanged himself from a tree at an AAP rally in Delhi. (Press Trust of India)

New Delhi: The Delhi Police today submitted a detailed report to Home Minister Rajnath Singh in connection with death of a farmer at an AAP rally in New Delhi while a Crime Branch team probing the case has been sent to the village of the deceased in Rajasthan.

"We have submitted a report to Home Ministry about yesterday's unfortunate incident," Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi told reporters after he along with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung met Rajnath Singh this morning.

Asked about AAP's allegations that policemen remained a mute spectator when 41-year-old Gajendra Singh hanged himself from a tree, Mr Bassi said, "I am not going to respond to any allegation because the case is under investigation. Once the investigation is complete, I will tell you the facts."

"We have filed an FIR in this connection under section 306 (Abetment of suicide), 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 34 (common intention) of IPC and whatever will be necessary will be done to investigate the case," he added.

The investigation in the case was handed over to the Crime Branch. Its team has been sent to Nangal Jhamarwada village in Dausa, Rajasthan to do a background check about Mr Singh and gather information about the circumstances which brought him to Delhi.

The farmer from Rajasthan committed suicide at the rally in full public view in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Investigators are also checking his mobile phone call records to identify the people with whom he was in touch with after coming to Delhi. They also visited the site of the incident and will be speaking to the people who had  tried to save him.

"We are also awaiting the postmortem report to determine whether he died of hanging or because of the 20-25 feet fall. We would also check the videos of the incident to piece together the sequence of events," said a senior police official associated with the probe.

The incident triggered a blame game among political rivals with demands being made that a case of murder be filed against AAP which had organised a rally against the Centre's land acquisition ordinance.

The Home Minister had yesterday directed the Delhi Police to probe the incident.
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