On Saturday (October 16), Lakhbir Singh was cremated amidst tight security in his native place in Cheema Kalan in Punjab, days after he was lynched to death by Nihang Sikhs at Delhi-Haryana border for the alleged sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. However, no Sikh priest came forward to perform the religious rituals for the last rites, and the villagers also stayed away from the cremation.
As per reports, only about 12 of the deceased’s family members were present during the cremation. It included Singh’s wife Jaspreet Kaur, sister Raj Kaur, sister-in-law Simranjit Kaur, mother-in-law Sawinder Kaur and three minor daughters. The family members were directed by villagers to not perform Sikh religious rituals and conduct only the last rites of Lakhbir Singh. No Sikh priest performed the Ardas (Sikh religious prayer) for the deceased.
A video of his cremation was shared on social media by journalist Sachin Gupta. In the video, Singh’s family members could be seen grieving his death while being surrounded by a large contingent of police personnel. The body of the deceased was brought to his village at around 7:45 pm in an ambulance and was directly taken to the crematorium. In order to expedite the cremation, Lakhbir Singh’s body was doused in diesel.
सिंघु बॉर्डर पर मारे गए लखबीर सिंह के शव का अंतिम संस्कार आज शाम मोबाइल टॉर्च की रोशनी में पंजाब के चीमा गांव में हुआ।
— Sachin Gupta (@sachingupta787) October 16, 2021
परिजनों को उसका चेहरा तक नहीं दिखाया। बॉडी एम्बुलेंस से सीधे शमशान घाट पहुंची। तेल डालकर बॉडी को जल्दी जला दिया गया। #SinghuBorder pic.twitter.com/PdpCuDdEBF
Upper caste hegemony and denial of decent last rites
The ‘Savarn’ (upper caste) Sikhs in the Cheema Kalan village in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab had earlier objected to bringing the mortal remains of Lakhbir Singh to his native place. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee had not granted permission for the deceased’s cremation as per the Sikh rehat Maryada (Sikh code of living). President of Satkar Committee, Tarlochan Singh, said, “We will not allow the family of Titu to cremate him as per the Sikh rehat maryada. His cremation will take place in the village, but his last rites will not be allowed to be performed in the Sikh tradition.” He stated that the decision was taken following a meeting during which a ‘gurmata’ was passed.
National Commission for Scheduled Castes raised objection
On Saturday, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes raised objection for denial of decent last rites to Dalit labourer Lakhbir Singh. Chairperson Vijay Sampla stated, “This is against the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The villagers are not allowing the last rites of the deceased. I have spoken to the DGP and asked him to take cognisance of the matter and take strict action against the perpetrators.”
He added, “I have heard stories about the kind of atrocities that would be carried out by the Taliban and the ISI, but these kinds of things would not happen in our country. They do now. It is heartbreaking. Earlier, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes had directed the Haryana DGP and State Chief Secretary to provide a report on the brutal lynching of Lakhbir Singh.
Four arrested for killing Lakhbir Singh at Kundli border
So far four Nihang Sikhs have been arrested for lynching Lakhbir Singh after chopping his hand and cutting his legs. Nihang Sarabjit Singh, the first arrested accused in the murder had appeared before the media before he surrendered claiming responsibility for the brutal attack and claimed full responsibility for the barbaric act. The second arrested was Narain Singh, who was arrested from his native village in Punjab on Saturday after he was felicitated by villagers in the Gurudwara in his village. He was presented with a garland of currency notes by the villagers for his ‘heroic act’ of killing Lakhbir Singh for the alleged blasphemy.
Later, two more Nihang Sikhs Bhagwant Singh and Govind Singh were arrested after they surrendered before the Haryana police at the Singhu-Kundli border. They were also felicitated by the fellow Nihang Sikhs for the murder before their arrest.
