Gurmukh Singh is a resident of a village in FatehgarhSahib. According to a report published in News Laundry, Singh is 80 years old. Assoon as the farmers protesting against the three contentious laws reachedDelhi, the government led by BJP at the center had asked them to go toNirankari Ground in Burari instead of protesting at the borders around Delhi.
However, few farmers had accepted this offer whilemajority of the others rejected it. It is at Burari that Gurmukh Singh wasarrested on January 28 after the unrest of January 26.
Before starting his side of the story, Singh told Newslaundry "I will never forget the humiliation."
Singh, along with 25 other men from his village had beento Delhi to be a part of the January 26 tractor parade. Although, he didn't bethe part of the parade because he said the journey tired him. Everything wasgoing as per plan. The Delhi Police had given permission to the farmers forholding the tractor march until the incident where one section of the farmers unfurled'Nishan Sahib' and a Farmers' Union'sflag at Red Fort. This was seen as an insult by larger section of people andtheir union leaders disowned those farmer.
The police arrested around 122 farmers by February 1. GurmukhSingh says that after the incident, the police became stern. Many policemendirected them to wind-up their protest and go. After he returned to his tents,he saw some policemen sitting at the back of their tents but he said theydidn't suspect any misdeed until then.
Singh said, around 11 PM at night, the electricity wascut off while they were about to call it a night. He said he was caught by threeto four policemen. In a quote to Newslaundry,he said, “They pushed me to the ground, and whenever I got up they keptpushing me back down. They started hitting and dragging me away from my tent. Ihad all my belongings, my clothes and money in the tent. I caught hold of theleg of a police barricade so that they wouldn’t drag me and I told them that Iwouldn’t leave the ground.”
Singh added, "“A few times I managed to get out ofthe bus. I didn’t want to leave without my belongings. Then a policeman gotvery angry and twisted my elbow. I’m old but not a very weak man. I used towrestle a lot, so I managed to unhook my elbow from his grasp. While I wasdoing so I touched the policeman’s uniform. I wanted to keep him away so hewouldn’t hit me. But as soon as I touched his uniform, he started screaming forhelp and shouted that I was assaulting him and trying to tear off his uniform.”
Eventually, he was taken to Tihar Jial.
Whatdid the police say?
FIR against Gurmukh Singh was filed in Mukherjee NagarPolice Station. Moreover, he was booked under the charges of violating Covidprotocol and assaulting a policeman.
FIR recorded a statement by Sub-Inspector Harbans Lal whosaid he was at a duty in Nirankari ground when some protesters wanted to go to Redfort where the protest turned amuck, when he tried to stop them, sub-inspectoralleged that the protesters tore his uniform and assaulted him. After hearinghis cry for help, his fellow policemen came to his rescue. His claim is backedby one of the other policeman.
One of the lawyers, Amarveer Bhullar, who is fighting hiscase belongs to a collective of lawyers team set up by Samyukta Kisan Morcha incollaboration with Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). Amarveersaid it took him two days to access the copy of the FIR. However, the SupremeCourt in 2016 had ruled that the FIR shall be uploaded on police or governmentwebsites within 24 hours of registering a complaint.
Before getting bail, his bail plea was rejected onFebruary 9 on the issue of investigations.
GurmukhSingh served in army for 22 years but he is branded as a terrorist:
Singh says the police called him a terrorist while heserved in the army for 22 years. He said he was recruited in the army druing1962 Indo-China war. He was stationed at Nathu-La pass in Sikkim. He alsofought in the Indo-Pak war in 1965 and later on, he was also a part ofBangladesh Liberation War six years later.
“I am not able to sleep at night these days,” he toldNews laundry when he recalled his 15 days at the prison. He said the toiletsoverflow in the prison and whenever he asked the officials to clean it, hewould hear when the officials talking with each other and saying to keep himhere to teach him a lesson.
Gurmukh Singh said, he cannot swallow the humiliation.