Farmers Movement Archive

Randhawa alleges deep-rooted conspiracy behind Singhu lynching

Deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Tuesday said the state government will get to the bottom of the lynching incident at Singhu border and expose the conspirators. Alleging a deep-rooted conspiracy to defame the farmers’ stir, Randhawa, who is also the home minister, said that in view of the recent disclosures about one of the Nihang leaders having already been in touch with the central government, agriculture minister NS Tomar in particular, the lynching incident had taken an entirely different turn. “The same Nihang leader is now defending the main accused for the killing,” he said in a statement. Lakhbir Singh, who belonged to Cheema Kalan village of Tarn Taran, was lynched at the farmers’ protest site at Singhu last week for alleged sacrilege. “We need to find out as who lured Lakhbir to Singhu border and who paid for his travel as he could not even afford his meals,” Randhawa said. The minister said he had instructed the local administration to find out under what circumstances he was taken away from his home to Singhu border. “The Nihang leader will also need to explain as in what capacity he had met Tomar and whether he was mandated to do so by the farmers’ organisations spearheading the campaign against three black farm laws,” he said without naming him. Randhawa said that given the important place, the Nihang leader was camping at and staging dharna at Singhu border, it was mandatory on his part to keep the farmers’ unions informed and updated about his meetings with the Union minister. “This has raised doubts and suspicion in the minds of people which will need to be cleared and the Punjab government will do everything to reach to the root of the conspiracy and expose and punish the culprits,” he said. Soni demands fair probe JALANDHAR: Punjab deputy chief minister OP Soni has demanded a comprehensive and fair probe into the Singhu lynching episode. Soni was in Jalandhar on Tuesday to take part in the “shobha yatra” of Valmiki. Addressing the media, Soni condemned the lynching and said a thorough probe should be done to unveil the entire conspiracy behind the incident. He also said the Centre must repeal the three farm laws to resolve the issue. Jakhar alleges role of agenciesChandigarh: Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday alleged that there could be a role of agencies in the murder of a person at Singhu border. “There is certainly something more than what meets the eye,” he said, adding, “Incidents of recent months point towards a concerted bid to paint the farmers struggle as one of particular community and create divisions between Sikhs and Nihangs”. In a statement, Jakhar demanded a thorough investigation into events leading to the death at Singhu border. Making it clear that presence of Nihangs at Delhi borders was by no means harmful for the protests, he said rather it is a deterrent against BJP attempts to evict protesting farmers from Delhi borders against their wishes. “If you look at the recent events through the prism of agencies, first a Haryana SDM publicly ordering his men to break heads of farmers, then Haryana chief minister asking people to pick up sticks followed by mowing down of farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri and then Singhu incident and now the increase of BSF jurisdiction to 50 KMs, are steps of a well thought out plot against Punjab,” he claimed, adding that the trail points to a well orchestrated strategy to derail the farmer agitations as well as defame Sikhs.

Hindustan Times

20-10-2021

Chandigarh