Farmers demonstrating near Delhi's Singhu border woke up at around 5 a.m. on Friday to the gruesome sight of a body with hand and legs chopped off, attached to a metal barrier near their protest site. A video of the heinous crime was also shared on social media.
Details of the event surfaced throughout the day. According to police sources, the victim was identified as 35-year-old Lakhbir Singh, a Dalit man with no criminal record or political involvement.
Nirvair Khalsa-Udna Dal, a group of Nihang Sikhs, admitted to murdering the man and said he was murdered for allegedly committing 'sacrilege.' Meanwhile, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella group of over forty farmers unions, distanced itself from the event, while the BJP criticized farmer leaders for the incident, which occurred near their protest location.
But who exactly was Lakhbir Singh? Why was he assassinated? Who murdered him? How have politicians reacted? Here's what we know so far about the case.
Who was Lakhbir Singh?
Lakhbir Singh, a 35-year-old Dalit man with no criminal record or political ties, was a resident of Tarn Taran's Cheema Khurd hamlet. He worked as a laborer in his hometown and had allegedly spent the previous several days at a Nihang camp on the Delhi-Haryana border.
He is lived with his wife, Jaspreet Kaur, and three children, aged 8, 10 and 12.
Who killed him?
The Nihang group Nirvair Khalsa-Udna Dal has claimed responsibility for Lakhbir Singh's murder.
According to the group, he was killed for supposedly committing sacrilege.
Saravjeet Singh, a Nihang community member, turned himself in to police on Friday evening and confessed responsibility for the murder. He was apprehended by police and will be presented in court on Saturday.
The Nihangs are a Sikh order that wear blue robes and are frequently seen wielding spears and swords.
What was the reason for his killing?
The Nihang group, Nirvair Khalsa-Udna Dal said that Lakhbir Singh was murdered for sacrilege.
Balwinder Singh of the Nihang group Nirvair Khalsa-Udna Dal told, "He removed the cloth that was covering the sacred scripture before the Prakash Prayer [offered about 3 a.m.]. And he made fun of the Pothi Sahib [translation book]. He ran away and we chased him."
He added that Lakhbir Singh was apprehended and assaulted near a private hospital. The Nihangs recovered the sacred book from him.
"We will only treat anyone who commits a sacrilege in this manner. We will not approach the police, administration "Balwinder Singh stated.
What does the Post-mortem report say?
The man died due to injuries and severe bleeding, according to the post-mortem report.
The report says "he was attacked with a weapon and was killed”. On his body, there were at least 10 injury marks.
His one hand was chopped off and separated from the rest of his body. The leg was also cut but not removed from the body.
Police Investigation
Sandeep Khirwar, Additional Director General of Police, Rohtak Range, was cited in a PTI report as stating, "We have lodged a complaint and additional investigations are underway."
He later informed reporters that the police wanted to make arrests in the case as soon as possible.
"We have some suspects' names, and the investigation is underway. I am optimistic that we will be able to make progress very soon since we have some leads in the case," he added.
How did Farmer leaders react?
SKM stated it wanted to make it clear that "both parties to the event," the Nihang group and the victim, are unrelated. "The farmers' peaceful and democratic movement opposes all forms of violence," it added.
Furthermore, the farmer leaders requested that the criminals be punished in line with the law after an investigation into the murder accusation and the "conspiracy" behind the sacrilege. The SKM pledged to help the police with their inquiry.
Saravjeet Singh, who turned himself to police, has already been apprehended.
