Body with hand chopped off found at farmers' protest site
A man was brutally lynched and tied up at a farmers' protest site near Delhi this morning, sparking outrage among the protesters. A group of Nihang Sikhs has claimed responsibility for the murder in a video. The Haryana Police has since launched an investigation into the matter. This marks the latest flashpoint in the months-long farmers' protest against the central government's three new laws.
Man was tied to a police barricade and lynched
The victim was tied to an overturned police barricade, his wrist chopped off and his ankle and leg broken, according to viral videos and pictures of the incident. Some Nihang Sikhs, a warrior group that has been involved in violent incidents in the past as well, allegedly killed the man on suspicion of disrespecting the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.
Victim identified as 35-year-old Lakhbir Singh
The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Lakhbir Singh, a resident of Cheema Khurd village in Punjab's Tarn Taran district. The village head, Avan Kumar, and a local police officer have confirmed his identity. He is a laborer and survived by a sister, a wife, and three daughters. Viral video clips showed the man lying in a pool of blood at the protest site.
Haryana Police has filed FIR against unknown persons
Police in Haryana's Kundli area said they received information about the incident around 5 am today. The cops had rushed the man to a civil hospital where he was declared dead. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against unknown persons under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) at the Kundli Police station in Sonipat district.
Farmers' body condemns incident, demands action
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmers' unions spearheading the agitation, has condemned the incident calling it "gruesome." "The Morcha 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," the body said in a statement.
Earlier, 8 people had died in a farmers' protest
The farmers' protest, which began late last year, has turned increasingly violent over the past few weeks. Earlier this month, eight people had died during a protest in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Besides four protesting farmers, the deceased included a local reporter and members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A Union Minister's son is currently in jail for the incident.
