Punjab govt constitutes SIT to probe Dalit man's lynching at Singhu border

By Team Newsable | First Published Oct 20, 2021, 4:54 PM IST

The SIT will be headed by Varinder Kumar, ADGP & Director, Bureau of Investigation and probe alleged meetings between Nihang leaders and the union government.

The Punjab government on Wednesday constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the Singhu border killing in which a Dalit man was lynched last week. He was allegedly murdered by members of a Nihang group.

The SIT will be headed by Varinder Kumar, ADGP & Director, Bureau of Investigation and probe alleged meetings between Nihang leaders and the union government. According to media reports, Nihang leader Aman Singh had secretly met BJP leaders.

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The decision to form SIT was taken after a meeting between Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Chhani and his Deputy, Sukhjinder Randhawa. Earlier in the day, Randhawa had tweeted indicating a likely probe, “The beating of a laborer from Tarn Taran seems to be a conspiracy to discredit the struggle of the peasants. I promise that the government will go to the bottom of this matter and identify and expose the conspirators.”

Also read: Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SC raps UP govt over delay in investigation, says ‘you are dragging your feet’

On October 15, the police had said that a preliminary probe had suggested that Nihangs had killed Lakhbir Singh, a Dalit Sikh from Cheema Kalan village in Tarn Taran, Punjab, as they suspected him of desecrating the holy book at a gurudwara at Singhu border.

Haryana Police had detained one person in Sonipat in connection with the Singhu border incident where a corpse was found hanging with hands and legs chopped at the spot where farmers' protest was underway.

The 3-member SIT will also investigate the background of Baba Sarvjit Singh, who had surrendered to Sonepat police for killing Lakhbir. Randhawa said it was strange that in a video shot by mediapersons he had his hair shorn as his turban accidentally fell.

However, the incident has sparked off outrage but given the sensitivity of a sacrilege case, not many had spoken openly against this in his village. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Supremo Mayawati also criticised the murder and demanded Rs 50 lakh compensation to the family by the Channi government.

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