Farmers Movement Archive

Tomar met Nihang leader: Cong.

Photographs of a meeting between Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar and Baba Aman Singh, leader of the Nihang sect whose members have confessed to killing a young man at the Singhu border in Haryana’s Sonipat, has created a flutter in political circles. The Agriculture Ministry, however, made it clear that the meeting that was held in July this year was not an official meeting and took place at the residence of Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary. The photographs of the meeting show Mr. Tomar, Mr. Choudhary, Gurmeet Singh Pinki — a Punjab police officer who was dismissed from service and convicted for murder — and Baba Aman Singh together. “The photograph was taken at a meeting which took place in July at Mr. Choudhary’s residence, it was a courtesy meeting... As a politician, Mr. Tomar meets with a lot of people and his doors are always open to religious leaders,” a senior official told The Hindu . Conspiracy, says Cong. With the photographs going ‘viral’ on social media platforms, the Congress hit out at the BJP, demanding an explanation. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Tuesday saw a deep-rooted conspiracy to defame the ongoing farmers’ agitation. Mr. Randhawa said the government will get to the bottom of the case and identify and expose the conspirators behind the incident. “In view of the recent disclosures about one of the Nihang leaders having already been in touch with the government of India, Minister for Agriculture N.S. Tomar in particular, the lynching incident has now taken an entirely different turn. The same Nihang leader is now defending the main accused for the killing. The victim belonged to Cheema Kalan village in Tarn Taran and was very poor. We need to find out who lured him to the Singhu border and who paid for his travel as he could not even afford his meals,” said Mr. Randhawa. Mr. Randhawa also asked in what capacity the Nihang leader had met the Minister and whether he was mandated to do so by the farmers’ organisations. “This has raised genuine doubts and suspicion in the minds of people which will need to be cleared and the Punjab government will do everything to expose and punish the culprits,” he said.

The Hindu

2021-10-20

NEW DELHI/ CHANDIGARH