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HomeIndiaMutilated body- hand, foot cutoff- found at farmers’ protest site

Mutilated body- hand, foot cutoff- found at farmers’ protest site

The farmers’ protest that has been going on for over a year now at the Haryana border demanding the repeal of the new alleged unconstitutional farm laws, witnessed a major incident at the site after a mutilated body of a man was found.  

The man’s left hand and right foot were cut off and found tied to the police barricade at Singhu on the Haryana-Delhi border. The police are yet to find the culprits but have registered a case against unknown people.  

Meanwhile, videos have surfaced where men dressed as Nihangs or ‘warrior’ Sikhs can be seen standing around the body. The congregation of people in the clips are asking the victim certain questions relating to his name and other details. In one of the videos, the man, Lakhbir Singh, is seen shocked and horrified due to the pain he endures after his foot and hand are cut off. While he lies bleeding, none of the people from the group even try to attend to his wounds or help him in any way. Some of the men start demanding Lakhbir to tell them his name.  

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In a second clip, the victim can be seen strung upside down, though it isn’t clear whether he was alive or not at this point. Another video shows Lakhbir dying as his last seconds of life get captured by the men with spears.  

According to the police, Kundli, the local police station was informed about the incident after the body was found at 5 am on Friday. “Vital clues” have been found and the killers are likely to be arrested soon, Superintendent of Sonipat Police, JS Randhawa said. A forensic team has also examined the crime spot, IGP of Rohtak Range, Sandeep Khirwar, had said earlier.  

The victim was later identified as 35 or 36-year-old Lakhbir Singh. A labourer by profession, he hailed from Tam Taran district of Punjab. He was adopted after his birth parents died and had a family with a wife, 3 daughters and a sister. His eldest daughter is merely 12 years old while the youngest is 8.  

According to reports, the gruesome killing was for allegedly desecrating the holy book of Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib. He was beaten to death and his foot and hand cut off. The mutilated body was then tied to a police barricade and abandoned.  

As the incident was discovered at the farmers’ protest site, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha have come forward to condemn the killing. Distancing itself from the horrific event, the farmers’ union said that neither the victim nor the Nihang group has any connection with SKM. It added that though they do not support religious sacrilege in any manner, no one can take the law into their hands. Offering its full support to the police, the Kisan Morcha hoped for the guilty to be punished soon.  

One of the SKM’s heads, Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav, said that Lakhbir Singh was living with some people. Allegations of desecration emerged last night and a fight broke out between him and the people. Extending the farmers’ cooperation and support again to the police, he said, “This should have been taken to the police… nobody can take the law into their hands.” 

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However, Rakesh Tikait has been held responsible for the murder by the BJP after this incident surfaced. Amit Malviya of the ruling party lashed out at Mr Tikait, accusing him of causing the ruckus after his “reaction to action” remarks following the death of two BJP workers in the recent Lakhimpur Kheri incident.  

The Nihangs have been in the news after they chopped off the hand of a police officer who had asked them to show their ‘movement passes’ during the covid lockdown.