Who was Lakhbir Singh, the man brutally killed at Singhu?
A chilling murder at a farmers' protest site at the Singhu border near national capital Delhi on Friday made headlines and rattled people across the country. The 35-year-old Lakhbir Singh was lynched, his body mutilated and tied to a police barricade, in Haryana's Kundli area. A group of Nihang Sikhs allegedly killed him on suspicion of sacrilege. Who was he?
Singh was a daily wage laborer from Punjab's Tarn Taran
Singh, a Dalit, was a daily wage laborer from Punjab's Tarn Taran district. He was last seen in his native Cheema Kalan village on Tuesday, according to the village residents. He was not involved in the farmers' protest, according to his family and the head of the village. In fact, this was the first time since the protest began that he went to Singhu.
Singh was separated from his wife, children
Singh was married 15 years ago. He had three daughters and a physically challenged son who died two years ago, said Avan Kumar, the village head. Villagers said Singh was a drug addict which was the reason behind his separation from his wife around five years ago. "He had not seen his three daughters for the past two years," Singh's brother-in-law Sukhchain Singh said.
Singh must have been lured, family alleges
Singh had been living with his sister, Raj Kaur, after his wife left him. They were the adopted children of former serviceman Darshan Singh and his wife. Kaur and other villagers have alleged that Singh must have been lured into going to Singhu. "He couldn't have traveled to Delhi on his own to commit sacrilege. There is a conspiracy behind his killing," Kaur said.
'How did he get those clothes seen on his body?'
Other villagers reiterated Kaur's allegation. "Lakhbir can't be involved in desecration," a resident said, according to NDTV. "He could not have done this; he was not that kind of a person. He was made to do this," another stated. "He (Singh) never wore the religious attire of Nihangs. How did he get those clothes that were seen on his body?" said Sukhchain, his brother-in-law.
Nihang surrenders to police taking responsibility for murder
Singh's autopsy report revealed that he died due to injuries and excessive bleeding. After the murder, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had called a high-level meeting to discuss the course of action. Later on Friday, Saravjeet Singh, a Nihang Sikh, surrendered to the police claiming responsibility for the murder. He will be produced before a court in Sonipat today.
