The family of a former Melbourne resident Navreet Singh, who came to Australia on a student visa a few years ago, is still reeling in shock after he died during the farmers' protest rally in New Delhi on India's Republic Day earlier this year.
The 25-year-old had returned to India with his newly-wedded wife for their wedding reception in late 2019.
Speaking to SBS Punjabi, the deceased's grandfather Hardeep Singh Dibdiba revealed that Mr Singh's trip turned into an indefinite stay due to "visa-related issues."
"The COVID-19 pandemic struck a few days after he travelled to India, which caused further delays in his visa processing because of which he had to postpone his return while his wife travelled back to Melbourne to pursue her studies," he said.
"Navreet aspired to build a prosperous life in Australia, but the destiny had other plans. We are still in shock as it's tough to bear this tragic loss," the grieving grandfather said.
Mr Singh's family approached the Delhi High Court seeking a court-monitored Special Investigating Team (SIT) probe into his death in February. They have alleged that Navreet was shot by the police, which caused him to lose control of the tractor which then rammed into the police barricades and overturned.
"He was lying in a critically injured condition under the overturned tractor. Despite the presence of a large number of police officers, including senior police officials, no attempts were made by the Delhi Police to save his life," Mr Dibdiba alleged.
"Instead, the Delhi police resorted to tear gas shelling to prevent other protestors from reaching the site where Navreet's body laid under the tractor," he claims.
"It will go down in the history books that Navreet sacrificed his life for the farmers' movement. People will remember him as a martyr and not just as an accident victim."
The Delhi Police claims that Mr Singh died when his "speeding" tractor overturned after hitting barricades that had been put in place to prevent the protesters from marching ahead.
The police have also released CCTV footage to support their stance.
A post-mortem report, prepared by a medical panel at the Civil Hospital Rampur in Uttar Pradesh in northern India, has concluded that Mr Singh's death was due to "shock and haemorrhage as a result of antemortem head injury" sustained during the accident.
The last hearing of Delhi High court was on 15 April while the next hearing is scheduled for May 2021
In his petition to the High Court, Mr Dibdiba has sought a "high-level investigation" in the circumstances leading to his grandson's death.
Earlier in the court, Mr Dibdiba's lawyer, Vrinda Grover presented eyewitness accounts of the incident and quoted various media reports on Mr Singh's death.
During his interview with SBS Punjabi, Mr Dibdiba mentioned the details that Dr Basil Purdue, a pathologist in London, offered to The Guardian after examining Mr Singh's post-mortem report.
"Our lawyer argued in the court based on facts. Medical experts found the injuries on Navreet's body to be consistent with bullet wounds," he claims.
"Many journalists who tweeted or reported on Navreet's death had to endure police investigation. Some were accused of misreporting and spreading disharmony, an allegation that was successfully challenged in the Supreme Court," Mr Dibdiba added.
![Sikh community in Melbourne paid tribute to Navreet Singh by holding a religious ceremony at the Gurdwara [Sikh Temple] in Craigieburn.](https://images.sbs.com.au/drupal/yourlanguage/public/cregi.jpg?imwidth=1280)
The local community paid tribute to Mr Singh in a memorial service held at the Craigieburn Sikh temple in north Melbourne in March.
Click on the audio icon to listen to the full interview with Hardeep Singh 'Dibdiba'
Listen to SBS Punjabi Monday to Friday at 9 pm. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
