Distressed over the news that villagers were not allowing the cremation of the body of the Dalit farm worker whose mutilated body was found at Kundli border, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairperson Vijay Sampla has written a letter to the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab.

In his letter, he has brought attention to Satkar Committee opposing to the cremation as the deceased was accused of disrespecting Guru Granth Sahib (holy book). Sampla has clarified that until police investigation does not find out whether he did disrespect the holy book, he should not be considered guilty of the offence. He also pointed out that there are videos of members of Nihang community where they can be heard saying that the deceased was running away with a copy of Sarvaloh Granth Sahib and not Guru Granth Sahib.

Sampla has asked Punjab DGP to ensure that the cremation of the deceased is done as per Sikh rituals.

“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,” Sampla told Indian Express.

ਸਿੰਘੂ ਬਾਰਡਰ ਕਤਲ ਮਾਮਲੇ ਨੂੰ ਲੈ ਕੇ SC Comission ਦੇ ਚੇਅਰਮੈਨ Vijay Sampla ਨੇ ਜਥੇਦਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਲਿਖੀ ਚਿੱਠੀ ???????????https://t.co/0oBu6mDg2O pic.twitter.com/6araSqyYdI

— Vijay Sampla (@thevijaysampla) October 18, 2021

Background

On October 15, reports of a gruesome murder of a Dalit daily wage labourer, identified as Lakhbir Singh, came from Kundli border, near the farmers protest site. One Sarabjit Singh has been arrested as an accused in the case after he surrendered before the police for the brutal crime. Sarabjit has been accused of cutting off the hand of Lakhbir, torturing him until his last breath and then hanging his body to a police barricade behind the farmer protest site area. 

The Nihangs, a section within the Sikh community, claimed that members had reacted in response to the victim’s attempt to insult their holy text Guru Granth Sahib.

Lakhbir was a Dalit labourer was married with three daughters between 8-12 years of age. His death has been recorded in many viral videos recorded by the group wherein the man talks about being in pain. The news of his death for the crime of offending religious sentiments has offended many people who have started the hashtag “Justice for Lakhbir Singh”.

Related:

Kundli murder accused remanded to week-long custody

Kundli murder: Plea in SC seeking removal of farmers from protest site

Kundli murder in no way related to the farmers’ struggle: Farmer leaders

The post Kundli murder: NCSC Chief writes to Punjab DGP over villagers denying last rites to Dalit victim appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Kundli murder accused Sarabjit Singh was sent on remand for seven days after appearing before the court on October 16, 2021. The accused surrendered himself before authorities on Friday for the brutal crime of mutilating and murdering daily-wage worker Lakhbir Singh.

According to news reports, Sarabjit has to go through daily medical examination during his remand, while having access to his lawyer Munark Bhardwaj every day. Sarabjit has been accused of cutting off the hand of Lakhbir, torturing him until his last breath and then hanging his body to a police barricade behind the farmer protest site area. 

The Nihangs, a section within the Sikh community,, claimed that members had reacted in response to the victim’s attempt to insult their holy text Guru Granth Sahib on Friday. Sarabjit surrendered before the police when a delegation approached their camp.

According to locals, the group in question was prone to violent instances in the past as well. Farmers group Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) had also appealed to police to remove the group from the vicinity of their protest area but received no response.

Lakhbir was a Dalit labourer who was married with three daughters between 8-12 years of age. His death has been recorded in many viral videos recorded by the group wherein the man talks about being in pain. The news of his death for the crime of offending religious sentiments has offended many people who have started the hashtag “Justice for Lakhbir Singh.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Siddhesh Gautam (@bakeryprasad)

And they killed him because he touched their holy book.#JusticeForLakhbirSingh pic.twitter.com/bKUDUYf64F

— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) October 15, 2021

I’m not god-fearing.
I’m god-men-fearing.

— smishdesigns (@smishdesigns) October 16, 2021

Owing to the location of the incident, many right-wing media had criticised the farmers’ movement, claiming that the murder occurred within the protest site. While the SKM has clarified that neither the Nihangs nor the victim have anything to do with the farmers struggle, some Dalit leaders have condemned the farmer leaders for “shying away from responsibility.”

National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman Vijay Sampla on October 15 shared the gruesome images of the body on Twitter with the caption, “The dead body of a Scheduled Caste youth was found hanging near the main stage of the SKM on the Singhu border. In this heinous case of Dalit oppression that reached the outskirts of Delhi after walking from the village chaupal, the SKM leaders, instead of shying away from their responsibility, should clarify their side.”

It may be noted that leaders on Friday said that “The SKM is against sacrilege of any religious text or symbol, but that does not give anyone the right to take the law in their own hands. We demand that the culprits be punished according to law after investigating the allegation of murder and conspiracy behind sacrilege.”

However, netizens like Ambedkarite artist Siddhesh Gautam said, “The incident should haunt every ‘peaceful protestor’ who didn’t do anything to stop it.”

The horrific image of Lakhbir’s dead body should haunt each of us. It should haunt each and every ‘peaceful protestor’ who didn’t do anything to stop it. It should haunt each and every soul who betrayed the gurus by being a tool and witness of oppression.#justiceforlakhbirsingh

— siddhesh gautam (@siddheshgautam) October 15, 2021

Related:

Kundli murder: Plea in SC seeking removal of farmers from protest site
Haryana: Mutilated body found at Kundli border
Kundli murder in no way related to the farmers’ struggle: Farmer leaders

The post Kundli murder accused remanded to week-long custody appeared first on SabrangIndia.

After the incident at Kundli border in Sonipat, an application has been filed before the Supreme Court for urgent hearing of the plea for removal of the protesters from the site. Farmers and others have been camping there for close to an year, as they hold meetings and demonstrations against the three farm laws.

The plea has also reportedly urged the court to pass directions for issuance of guidelines by the centre to the state governments to prevent all kinds of protests in their states and not permit them until the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

LiveLaw quoted the plea read, “Said incidents are neither common, nor acceptable. A protest which in itself is illegal cannot be continued when it is witnessing anti humanitarian acts. The said protests have seen many unforeseen and unacceptable things including the Tractor Rally on Republic Day, rape of a woman and its cover up at the site and murder of Lakhbir Singh on Dusshera.”

The application further states that the right to freedom of speech and expression cannot supersede the right to life and if protests are allowed to continue, the “nation at large will be at loss”.

The plea has also bizarrely referred to the banning of festival celebrations, going to temples, schools and colleges, and states that allowing protests serve no good purpose. As per LiveLaw, it also states, “Protestors are not only putting their life at risk but of millions of people of India and such a prolonged agitation cannot be allowed especially during the ongoing pandemic since prolonged protests on public places is not only a clear violation of Supreme Court rulings but is violating Right of Life of others who are directly or indirectly affected by the said protests.”

Lakhbir Singh from Cheema Kala village, Punjab, was living near the Nihang group – a religious community of armed Sikh warriors – camp site that had set base near the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Kundli protest site. According to reports, he allegedly disrespected the holy text Guru Granth Sahib and the religious group responded by cutting off his hand and hanging his body behind the SKM protest stage.

However, SKM has clarified that they had nothing to do with the incident and they condemned it. SKM leader Hannan Mollah told SabrangIndia, “The death near the Kundli border has no relation to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM). While we respect all religions and their texts, we condemn this act of taking the law into one’s own hands and committing murder.”

In addition to this, Mollah said that the Nihang group has previously engaged in violent incidents as well. He said, “We had appealed to the police to move them away from the protest site but nothing happened. When we learnt about the strung-up body in the morning, we went there and later had a meeting as well to clarify that neither the deceased nor the murderers have anything to do with the SKM.”

Related:

Haryana: Mutilated body found at Kundli border
Kundli murder in no way related to the farmers’ struggle: Farmer leaders

The post Kundli murder: Plea in SC seeking removal of farmers from protest site appeared first on SabrangIndia.

“The death near the Kundli border has no relation to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM). While we respect all religions and their texts, we condemn this act of taking the law into one’s own hands and committing murder,” SKM leader Hannan Mollah said to Sabrang India on October 15, 2021 in reaction to gruesome reports of a murder near farmers protest site.

The right-wing media are having a field day on Friday, narrating the horrifying mutilation and murder of 35-year-old Lakhbir Singh from Cheema Kala village, Punjab. The man was living near the Nihang group – a religious community of armed Sikh warriors – camp site that had set base near the SKM Kundli protest site. According to reports, he allegedly disrespected the holy text Guru Granth Sahib and the religious group responded by cutting off his hand and hanging his body behind the SKM protest stage.

Owing to the location of the incident, many media houses have named the murderers “farmers” and questioned the SKM’s claims of a peaceful narrative.

BJP’s Information and Technology department in-charge Amit Malviya even tweeted, “Rape, murder, prostitution, violence and anarchy… All this has happened in the name of the peasant movement. Now the brutal murder of a young man on the Kundli border of Haryana… What the heck is going on? Who are these people doing this anarchy in the name of the farmers’ movement who are defaming the farmers?”

During an interview with India Today, he condemned the “violent” behaviour of farmers. He claimed leaders like Yogendra Yadav and Rakesh Tikait justified alleged mob lynching incidents in Lakhimpur Kheri as well. It may be mentioned that the claims of lynching in Lakhimpur Kheri were never confirmed.

In response, Yadav circulated the following statement:

However, farmers in a press release on Friday clarified that those involved in the incident have nothing to do with the farmers’ protest. In fact, Mollah said that the group has previously engaged in violent incidents as well.

“We had appealed to the police to move them away from the protest site but nothing happened. When we learnt about the strung up body in the morning, we went there and later had a meeting as well to clarify that neither the deceased nor the murderers have anything to do with the SKM,” he said.

Over the course of the day, the Nihang group claimed responsibility for the killing, stating that the man insulted the holy text. However, the SKM, reiterating itself as a peaceful and democratic movement said, “The SKM is against sacrilege of any religious text or symbol, but that does not give anyone the right to take the law into their own hands. We demand that the culprits be punished according to law after investigating the allegation of murder and conspiracy behind sacrilege. As always, the SKM will cooperate with the police and administration in any lawful action.”

Related:

Haryana: Mutilated body found at Kundli border
UP: BJP workers threaten SHO, create ruckus in police station
UP court denies bail Ashish Mishra in Lakhimpur Kheri case

The post Kundli murder in no way related to the farmers’ struggle: Farmer leaders appeared first on SabrangIndia.