Dalit outfits demand strict action against culprits of Singhu border lynching

PTI, Oct 16, 2021, 1:08 PM IST

New Delhi: Around 15 Dalit outfits submitted a memorandum to the National Commission for Scheduled Caste on Saturday demanding stringent action against those who killed a man and tied his body to an overturned police barricade at the farmers’ protest site in Singhu.

The body of Lakhbir Singh, 35, from Punjab’s Taran Taran district, was found tied to an overturned police barricade at the site where farmers are protesting three Central farm laws for over 10 months. His body bore over 10 wounds caused by sharp-edged weapons.

The incident is being blamed on a group of Nihangs.

As many as 15 Dalit outfits, which included the Akhil Bharatiya Khatik Samaj, Akhil Bharatiya Berwa Vikas Sangh, Dhanak Welfare Association and other organizations of Dalit employees and professionals submitted the memorandum to National Scheduled Caste Commission Chairman Vijay Sampla.

They urged the panel to ensure that this gory incident be fairly investigated and stringent punishment for culprits be ensured.

Political parties across the board have condemned this incident and demanded a thorough probe. BJP leaders have claimed that this incident exposes the “anarchists” projecting themselves as farmers’ leaders.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes on Friday asked the Haryana Police to take strict action against those behind the killing of the Dalit man at the farmers’ protest venue.

Sampla also sought a preliminary report from the Haryana Police within 24 hours.

In a video clip that has gone viral on social media platforms, some Nihangs are seen standing as the man lies on the ground in a pool of blood with his chopped off left hand lying next to him.

In the clip, the Nihangs are heard saying the man has been punished for desecrating a holy book of the Sikhs.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmer unions is spearheading the protests at Delhi’s borders, said a group of Nihangs has claimed responsibility for the brutal killing after the victim allegedly attempted to desecrate the Sarbloh Granth, a holy book of the Sikhs.