The blame game over the farmer's suicide here escalated today with government and police accusing the Aam Aadmi Party of having instigated it as Parliament was rocked and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for a collective solution to the "deep-rooted" agrarian crisis.
As the suicide in full public view put focus on the crisis, the Prime Minister expressed "pain" over the suicide by Gajender Singh, a farmer from Dausa in Rajasthan who took his life during an AAP rally addressed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh laid the blame at the doors of AAP saying its supporters "clapped and raised slogans" preventing police from engaging the farmer to prevent him from taking the extreme step.
The Delhi Police in its FIR accused unnamed AAP leaders and workers of having instigated Singh into committing suicide and putting all sorts of obstacles in their efforts to rescue him.
"This is totally an incident where AAP workers and leaders instigated the man to commit suicide and they also did not pay heed to requests made by police," says the FIR.
The FIR was registered under Section 306 (Abetement of suicide), 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 34 (common intention) of IPC in Parliament Street Police Station.
Under attack for showing "insensitivity" in going ahead with the rally, AAP leaders held two press conferences to refute the charges against them. They hit back at Rajnath Singh saying he was "lying".
"Home Minister is lying and giving misleading statements. It is the Union government's ploy to target AAP using the Delhi Police. Media recorded the incident as it happened and should put out the tapes in public to establish the truth," party spokesperson Sanjay Singh said.
"You must have seen that we were requesting the police to rescue him. Please show the truth as to whether we have incited anyone. At least tell the truth on the floor of the house," said senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, who was flanked by Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh.
