Singhu border murder: 2 people arrested, victim’s family demands high-level probe

Amritsar Rural Police arrested another accused on Saturday in connection with the gruesome lynching and murder at the farmers' protest site at Singhu Border.

(Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: In the latest development to the Singhu border killing, the police arrested the second accused on Saturday (October 16, 2021) in connection with the lynching of a Dalit man at a farmers' protest site at the Singhu border.

The second accused Narain Singh, who belongs to the Sikhs' Nihang order, was arrested by the Amritsar Rural police at Amarkot village in Amritsar district. After being taken into custody, Narain Singh claimed that he had surrendered before the police.

Earlier, on Friday, the police had arrested the first accused, Sarabjit Sigh, in connection with the case. Following this, Sonipat court remanded him to police custody for seven days on Saturday. 

Shortly after the second arrest, the Haryana police detained two more Nihangs in connection with the Singhu Border incident. 

According to police, Sarabjit Singh has claimed the involvement of a few more people in the gruesome killing, which has sparked outrage and has triggered calls for action to clear the protest sites on Delhi's borders where farmers have been camping since last November to press for the scrapping of the Centre's three agri laws.

Victim cremated amid high security

The mortal remains of Lakhbir Singh were cremated at his native village in Punjab's Tarn Taran amid tight security in the presence of his close family members. No Sikh priest was present to perform Ardas (Sikh religious prayer) and no one from his village Cheema Kalan attended the last rites.

SKM cannot escape responsibility: Haryana Deputy CM

Strongly condemning the gruesome killing of a man at the Singhu border, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and senior BJP leader Rattan Lal Kataria on Saturday said the Samyukt Kisan Morcha cannot escape from the responsibility for what happened at their protest site.

“It was a barbaric crime. Police are already at the job, conducting investigations into the case... But 40 leaders (SKM leaders) cannot escape from their responsibility,” Chautala, leader of the JJP, which is a coalition partner of the ruling BJP in Haryana, said.

He said the farmers movement is being spearheaded by the farm union leaders, and that in any organisation or department, its head is accountable for anything going wrong, likewise in any movement, its leader is responsible.

“The responsibility of any incident happening at the protest site (of farmers) lies with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). They cannot escape from the responsibility for what has happened at their protest site,” Kataria, the MP from Ambala, said.