Farmers Movement Archive

SKM smells conspiracy in Kundli border lynching, so do victim’s kin

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday condemned the lynching of a 35-year-old man from Cheema Khurd village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district at a farmers’ protest site at Kundli on the Delhi-Haryana border and claimed that there could be a conspiracy behind the incident. Family members of the victim, Lakhbir Singh, too, voiced similar views, expressing surprise at his presence at the Delhi border. Lakhbir, a scheduled caste labourer, was lynched, his hand chopped off and the body tied to a metal barricade at a farmers’ protest venue at Kundli. In a video clip circulating on social media platforms, some Nihangs are seen standing as Lakhbir lies on the ground in a pool of blood with his chopped off left hand lying next to him. The Nihangs — a Sikh order, distinguished by their blue robes — are heard in the clip saying the man has been punished for desecrating a holy book of the Sikhs. The umbrella body of 40 farm unions spearheading the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s three agricultural laws also demanded a thorough probe into the matter and said those responsible should be brought to book. The body alleged that a religious colour is being given to their movement. “We are all very saddened at what happened. The SKM is fighting against the three farm laws. This (incident) could be a conspiracy. We condemn the incident in the strongest words,” said Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a farmer leader from the organisation. Dallewal said they have learnt that Lakhbir had been staying with the Nihang Sikhs, and tried to steal the Sarbloh Granth, a holy book of the Sikhs. “We condemn disrespecting of any religion. We also condemn the reaction (killing),” he said. The SKM claimed that the killing had nothing to do with the farmers’ movement, which is not a religious one. The farmers’ movement is for the rights of farmers and against the three farm laws, the body said. Lakhbir was allegedly a drug addict and stayed with his widowed sister Raj Kaur at the house of their foster parents, both dead now, at Cheema village. Lakhbir’s wife Jaspreet Kaur has been living at her maternal home with the couple’s three daughters for the last five years. “Around a week ago, Lakhbir took ₹50 from his sister on the pretext of going to the village’s grain market for labour work, but he never returned. He couldn’t have gone to Delhi alone. He was taken there by someone. So far, we don’t know who was behind it, but he couldn’t have committed sacrilege,” said Lakhbir’s brother-in-law (wife’s brother) Sukhchain Singh. He said, “Lakhbir had started taking drugs three to four years after his marriage, but he never fought with anyone in the village. We tried to keep him away from drugs, but to no avail.” Residents of Cheema Khurd suspect Lakhbir may have been “manipulated” to desecrate the scripture. “We sent him to drug de-addiction centre several times, but to no avail,” said Awan Kumar, the village head. Tarn Taran deputy superintendent of police Sucha Singh Ball said Lakhbir had no criminal background, but he was an alcoholic. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harvinder Singh Virk said preliminary investigation suggests that the victim was not seen in the village after October 10. “We are still verifying to know if he went to the Delhi border own his own, or if he was taken there by someone,” he said. (With inputs from PTI)

Hindustan Times

16-10-2021

Chandigarh