Farmers Movement Archive

Singhu murder: 1 more arrested, 2 ‘surrender’

A second arrest was made on Saturday in connection with the murder of a man at the site of the farmers’ protest at the Singhu border, with the “surrender” of Narain Singh at Amritsar in Punjab. Narain, a member of the Nihang Sikh community from Amarkot village, was arrested by the Amritsar rural police. News agencies reported late in the evening that two more persons, belonging to the Nihang order from Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, had “surrendered” before the Sonipat police in Kundli in connection with the killing. Lakhbir Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran in Punjab, was found dead at Sonipat in Haryana on Friday. The body was tied to a police barricade with the wrist and leg severed. He was “punished” for allegedly desecrating the holy Sikh scripture. The prime accused Sarabjit, also a Nihang Sikh, who was arrested by the Haryana police a few hours after the murder, was remanded in police custody for seven days by the District and Sessions Court in Sonipat on Saturday. Soon after his arrest, Narain claimed that he had informed the Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar, over phone that he wanted to surrender. He said he had sought permission to visit the Akal Takht, but the police took him into custody near Jandiala town, around 25 km from Amritsar. Talking to reporters before his arrest, Narain said Lakhbir was “punished” allegedly for the sacrilege. Members of many Sikh outfits reportedly garlanded him with currency notes when he paid obeisance at a gurdwara. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmer organisations protesting against the three farm laws, has demanded an investigation into “the allegation of conspiracy to sabotage the movement through sacrilege and promotion of disturbance by hurting religious sentiments”. “From media reports, it appears that he had been receiving mysterious calls which he would take in secrecy. Lakhbir Singh is supposed to have told his sister that ‘his reach has increased now and has gone far’... All this information points to a deep conspiracy of some sort,” the Morcha said in a statement.

The Hindu

2021-10-17

GURUGRAM