AAP workers egged farmer on, death an accident: Police report

Reacting to the report, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi said, “Whenever there is an important incident, we give a preliminary report to the home minister. As the name suggests, it is an initial report, so what went in that report or what did not is not relevant today.”

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Asked whether the organisers of the rally or the AAP’s top leadership will be questioned, he said, “I would not like to speculate who the Investigating Officer will speak to. Statements of eyewitnesses are important in any criminal case. The testimony of all those who witnessed the incident and who are available has been taken so far.”

The AAP hit out at the police. “The day the FIR was filed and the home minister gave a statement in the Lok Sabha, we maintained that the FIR was a bundle of lies. Police are being used by the BJP. Police themselves are under the scanner and they have no authority in this case,” AAP spokesperson Deepak Bajpai said.

“In the report, police have charged AAP workers and people in the crowd with inciting and provoking 41-year-old Gajendra Singh by clapping and cheering him, which led to him taking the extreme step,” a police officer said.

“Once Singh was on the tree, he pulled out a cloth and tied it around his neck. Police called the fire services for help and tried to bring him down, but AAP volunteers didn’t allow them to do so. Instead, some volunteers climbed the tree and tried to free him, but all this was done in such an unprofessional manner that Singh ended up losing his life.”

Clearing the confusion over whether he died due to hanging or on account of falling from the tree, the autopsy report says Singh died due to asphyxia resulting from hanging. Police are also probing if the suicide note was written by Singh.