IAS Officer May Face Action for 'Crack Open' Remark Against Farmers: Chautala

JJP Chief and Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala. Image used for representational purposes. 

(Photo: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Monday, 30 August, said that he has sought explanation from the IAS officer, who was caught on video issuing instructions to the police to ‘crack open’ the protesting farmers’ head. He also asserted that the officer could face action.

"What he said...the video was seen throughout the country. The wording used by the officer was not up to the mark as far as his oath of office goes," Chautala, an ally of the BJP in Haryana, told NDTV.

The Jannayak Janshakti Party leader said that action will be taken once the IAS officer replies.

"If somebody attacks you, you will not wait. The police will use force when they are attacked," he added.

Just hours earlier, Haryana CM Manoharlal Khattar said that what the officer voiced was “not correct”, but added that strictness had to be ensured to maintain law and order.

“If any action has to be taken (against the officer), it would first have to be assessed by the district administration. The DGP (Director General of Police) is also looking into it. To maintain law and order, strictness had to be ensured,” Khattar was quoted as saying while briefing the media on Monday.

What Did the IAS Officer Say?

In a video that went viral on social media on Saturday, 28 August, Karnal’s Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ayush Sinha could be seen standing in front of a group of policemen and instructing them to not allow farmers to go beyond a barricade.

"It is very simple and clear. Whoever he is, wherever he is from, no one should be allowed to reach there. We will not let this line be breached at any cost. Just pick up your lathi and hit them hard... It's very clear; there is no need for any instruction. Just thrash them hard. If I see a single protester here, I want to see his head smashed...crack open their heads," Sinha said in the video.

Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala had on Sunday, 29 August, condemned the usage of such words for the farmers and said that action would be taken against Sinha.