The brutal lynching of a Dalit labourer Lakhbir Singh at the Singhu-Kundli border is one of the most heinous crimes in recent times. Innumerable videos and visuals of the incident have emerged on social media which has left one reeling under shock.
Despite the gravity of the crime, the Nihang Sikhs have shown no remorse over the incident. On the contrary, various groups of Nihangs have issued warnings to the Haryana police against arresting the people from their community in connection with the lynching of Lakhbir Singh.
As per a report by the New Indian Express, the Nihangs have threatened to ensure that the four of their leaders who have surrendered in this case are released from police custody ‘by force.’
Nihangs demand a case be registered against Lakhbir Singh, say would repeat the act if need be
This is not all. The Nihang groups have also demanded that a case of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib be filed against the deceased Lakhbir Singh.
They have asserted that now they will not surrender any of their companions. In fact, they have thrown an open challenge before the Haryana police saying that if the latter tries to make any more arrests in the case, they would make sure that the arrested are released.
Nihang leader Baba Ram Singh said: “We have now given the complaint of sacrilege with the police and asked them to register a case against Lakhbir Singh. If now the police try to arrest any other person in this case we will make sure the four in the police custody are taken out by us. Right now we are cooperating with the police, but it doesn’t mean that we will tolerate any kind of excesses from them.”
Singh threatened that whoever, henceforth, indulges in the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, will be punished in the same way as Lakhbir Singh.
“It has been six years since the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib had taken place in Punjab in 2015. However, till date, none of the accused has been arrested and no legal action taken against anyone. If anyone now tries to do it again then we will punish him or her as Lakhbir Singh was punished,” said Baba Ram Singh.
Nihangs call for “mahapanchayat” to decide future course of action
The Nihangs who are still camping at the Haryana border after the heinous incident, have now given an open call for a “mahapanchayat” at Singhu Border on October 27 to decide their next course of strategy.
The Nihangs have chosen to hold a “mahapanchayat” to gauge public opinion on their stay at Singhu Border.
Many protestors believe that the murder of Lakhbir Singh in cold blood at the protest site has blackened the farmer’s protest, given that for all this while, the farm leaders have always sought to project it as not bound by a single religion. Such protestors are now staying back from attending the agitation. The crowd at the protest has thinned over the last few weeks. However, the Nihangs don’t appear to be in any haste to give up.
Indian Express reported how on Saturday, several Nihangs assembled for the evening Ardas in front of a temporary gurdwara, not far from where the victim was slain.
Their horses and tents are still parked near security checkpoints near the Delhi border.
“We respect the Samyukt Kisan Morcha even if they say they have nothing to do with us. We are all fighting in the same battle against the government. This is a bigger fight, and we will protect the interests of farmers at all costs,” said the Nihang leader, Balvinder Singh.
The Dalit Sikh labourer Lakhbir Singh was brutally lynched on October 15, Friday by the members of the Nihang Sikh community over allegations of blasphemy. His one hand was chopped off, his legs were cut, and his body was hanging from a metal police barricade near the main stage of farmer protests at the Singhu border in Haryana. Four Nihangs have been arrested so far in the case.
Two accused for Lakhbir Singh’s murder had reached border after R-Day violence
A report by Indian Express suggests that two accused who had surrendered in the Lakhbir Singh murder case on Saturday, Bhagwant Singh, aged 20 years and 25-year-old Govind Singh had come to Delhi’s Singhu border along with their Nihang group after the January 26 violence.
Talking to the media house, Balwinder Singh claimed: “Our group had come to Singhu after January 26. We saw videos of the mob attack on farmer protesters at the Singhu border after January 26. We saw pictures of how Sikhs were beaten and picked up by Delhi Police from Singhu. So, we decided to come here for the protection of protesters. We reached here at the Singhu border on February 2.”
Contrary to Balwinder Singh’s belief, the mayhem on Republic Day was planned by ‘farmer leaders’.
In the aftermath of the riots that happened on Republic Day 2021, several protesters and farmer leaders, including Deep Sidhu who were present at the Red Fort were arrested. A total of 299 police personnel were injured and properties worth crores were damaged during the riots.
