New Delhi: A 35-year-old man’s body was discovered tied to an overturned police roadblock at the farmers’ protest site the Singhu border this morning, with his left wrist chopped and a puddle of blood on the ground. According to initial reports, the murder was committed in Kundli, Haryana’s Sonipat district, by Nihangs, a ‘warrior’ Sikh gang. They are said to have beaten the young man to death for allegedly desecrating the Sikhs’ holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib.
The body was transported to the Civil Hospital in Sonipat by police. The police have yet to remark on the heinous crime. Another incidence occurred last year in Patiala, where a Punjab cop, got his hand hacked off with a sword after he demanded Nihang to show his ‘movement passes’ during the COVID lockdown. Harjeet Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector, has now been promoted after undergoing major medical treatments.
Farmers have been protesting the centre’s new farm policies at the Singhu border for almost a year. Protests in Haryana have dominated the news since they began, with frequent violent skirmishes between farmers and police. In August, a top Karnal official was captured on camera directing cops to “crack their (farmers’) heads.” This occurred during a lathi charge in which ten farmers were injured. Ayush Sinha, a government official, was fired and placed on leave, and an investigation was launched.