By: Devika Kandelwal
September 7 2021
The Inspector General in Karnal is Ms. Mamta Singh and not Bharti Arora Hunna.
The Inspector General in Karnal is Ms. Mamta Singh and not Bharti Arora Hunna. On September 7, 2021, farmers took out a rally in Karnal, Haryana. The farmers' union had organized the rally in the wake of the August 28 lathi-charge on farmers. On August 28, farmers gathered near Karnal to protest Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's visit to a BJP meeting. The police used force against the farmers, from which ten farmers reportedly suffered injuries. After this incident, several videos from the August protest surfaced on social media. According to India Today, one such video showed Karnal sub-divisional magistrate Ayush Sinha ordering the police to "break the head of the protestors." Subsequently, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) demanded that the Haryana government register a case against Sinha with charges of murder by September 6. However, the government did not register any complaints. In preparation for the protest, Haryana's administration issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), banning large gatherings and suspending mobile internet. However, many social media users are still tweeting pictures and videos from the protest. One such tweet reads, "Opposition to police administration in Karnal Haryana police officer and IG Bharti Arora Hunna kicked out of Dana Mandi by farmers." This particular claim is false. According to Hindustan Times, Arora was transferred from Karnal to Ambala in April 2021. The current Inspector General of Karnal is Ms. Mamta Singh, who does not appear in the tweet's accompanying pictures. A closer look at the photos shows that the farmers are peacefully protesting next to the police officers, and the officers are walking next to them. There is no evidence that the farmers kicked out anyone who opposed the farmers' protest.