A
security officer keeps vigil at the Singhu border near the site of the
farmers' protest, in New Delhi, October 15, 2021. Photo: PTI/Ravi
Choudhary
Chandigarh:
Hours after the gruesome execution of a 35-year-old man near the main
stage of the farmers’ protest at the Singhu border on Friday, leaders of
the Nihang sect, a Sikh warrior community known for its extreme
actions, publicly declared that they had killed the man because of his
“attempt to steal” their holy scripture.
The revelation came just before one member of their
community, Saravjeet Singh, surrendered before the Haryana police,
claiming responsibility for the brutal mutilation and killing of Lakhbir
Singh, a Dalit Sikh from Cheema Kalan village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran
district.
The body of the victim was found half-naked, with his left
wrist chopped. His ankle and leg were broken. The body was found early
on Friday, hanging from a police barricade in a pool of blood near the
main stage where the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has been protesting at
Singhu.
Initially, the Nihang Sikhs, who claimed to have caught him
red handed with their Sikh scripture and executed him, refused to hand
over the body to the police.
After parleys
and conversations with a Nihang leader that lasted close to an hour, the
police were allowed to take the body. They rushed to a local hospital
at about 5 am, but was declared brought dead.
While the accused will be produced in the Sonepat court on Saturday and a plea was filed in the Supreme Court, Baba Aman Singh, the leader of a Nihang group, appeared before the media late on Friday night and justified the gruesome murder as ‘punishment for blasphemy’.
He added that the group will not hesitate to repeat its actions if attempts are made in the future to “defame our gurus”.
He was also quick to warn the Union government not to give
the incident a Khalistan colour. At the same time, he told farmers’
organisations to think twice before announcing their views on the
incident, since the matter pertains to the sacrilege of their holy
religious scripture and has nothing to do with the protest.
“They can say what they want. We are not governed by
anyone,” he said, commenting on the statement released by the farmers’
unions condemning the killing,
Nihangs, who are always seen in blue robes and are usually
armed with swords and spears with decorated turbans surmounted by steel
quoits, constitute a small community in Punjab.
About a dozen bands, each headed by a jathedar
(leader), are still carrying on with the traditional order. Prominent
among these are the Budha Dal, the Taruna Dal and their factions.
They use the slogans ‘Chhardi kala’ (forever in high spirits) and ‘tiar bar tiar’ (state of ever preparedness for unforeseen events).
Nihangs were also in the news in Punjab last year, when during the COVID-19 lockdown, members of one group chopped off the hand of an assistant sub-inspector of the Punjab police in Patiala when he asked them to show their curfew pass.
Incident may embolden anti-farm movement forces
Different Nihang groups have been camping at the Singhu
border ever since the protest began last November to express solidarity
with the farmers.
However, their presence has often raised eyebrows, even
within the farmers’ organisations, which were worried about the presence
of religious groups and that they may attempt to use the stage for
their own propaganda.
These apprehensions came true with the lynching and the
subsequent justification by the Nihangs, which may embolden those who
are trying to scuttle the movement.
A farmer leader told The Wire, seeking anonymity,
that those who oppose the farmers’ movement, including the BJP, are
likely to be emboldened by the lynching. It may also cast a shadow on
the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, where four farmers were recently mowed
down, allegedly by Union minister Ajay Mishra’s son.
Therefore, it was not surprising when after the lynching, the BJP’s Amit Malviya through a tweet
took a dig at farmer leader Rakesh Tikait and activist Yogendra Yadav,
saying, “Had Rakesh Tikait not justified mob lynching in Lakhimpur, with
Yogendra Yadav, sitting next to him, maintaining sanctimonious silence,
the gory murder of a youth at (Singhu) border would not have happened.
Anarchists behind these protests in the name of farmers need to be
exposed.”
While the SKM, an umbrella organisation of the farmers’ unions spearheading the movement, condemned the incident, an editorial in the Indian Express
said just condemnation is not enough. The farmers’ movement and its
leadership needs to be constantly alert and vigilant to the dangers of
becoming the staging ground for extremists in search of relevance, the
editorial said.
However, senior
journalist Hamir Singh said that one can’t paint the farmers’ movement
in a bad light because of this incident. In big social movements, one
cannot stop anyone from joining the protest. The SKM can only make its
vision and stand clear, which has been the case since the beginning, he
said.
“From day one, the SKM has maintained that their movement
is non-religious. Even SKM leaders like Balbir Rajewal made frequent
appeals to Sikh religious groups to stay away from the protest for the
greater good of the movement. The statement issued by the SKM on Friday
that the sacrilege of any religious text or symbol does not give anyone
the right to take the law into their own clearly indicates their stand. I
believe after the incident, there will be more clarity in their stand
and they will be getting more support from the larger people,” Hamir
Singh said.
Samyukt
Kisan Morcha leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal addresses the media during a
press conference at the Singhu border in New Delhi, Friday, Oct. 15,
2021. Leaders Balwant Singh (L) and Ruldu Singh Mansa (R) are also
present. Photo: PTI
Why did Nihangs execute Lakhbir Singh?
Baba Aman Singh, the religious Nihang leader, said in another interview
that it was “unfortunate” that the sacrilege incidents, which had
started in Punjab in 2015, had reached the Singhu border as well.
About a kilometre away from the Singhu border is the Moyan
di Mandi gurudwara. The Sarbloh Granth (a holy scripture composed of
more than 6,500 poetic stanzas by the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh), was
placed there, he said.
Aman Singh alleged that Lakhbir Singh arrived there a few days ago and won the trust of the people with his seva (service).
However at around 3:30 am on Friday, he went into the gurudwara and
stole the Sarbloh Granth. “But we got hold of him near the Singhu border
and recovered the holy scripture from him later. We have video evidence
to prove it,” he claimed.
He also levelled allegations of conspiracy, claiming that Lakhbir Singh had told them that he was paid to steal the scripture.
The
Nihang leader did not express any remorse, instead saying that anyone
who attempts to desecrate their faith would be treated similarly. “The
administration or police is free to take any action, but we have made
clear our intentions since it is a matter of faith for us,” he added.
Baba Aman Singh also said that Saravjeet Singh, the man who
has surrendered for the killing, has been associated with the Nihang
sect for a long time. He takes care of a horse stable at the sect’s
headquarter in Chamkaur Sahib, he said.
source ; the wire
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