Singhu lynching: Punjab Dy CM alleges conspiracy citing Tomar's photo with Nihang leader

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Tuesday said that the lynching of a labourer at the Singhu border could be a possible conspiracy to defame the farmers' agitation. Randhawa cited a purported photograph of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar with a Nihang leader to support his claim. The group photo cited by the minister saw Tomar and a man in blue robes of the Sikh order of the Nihangs.

Following the surfacing of the picture, Randhawa has now claimed that a conspiracy was visible in the event. Former state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar also joined the controversy and alleged the Centre of having involvement in the murder that took place at a farmers' protest site near the Delhi-Haryana border. Randhawa, making his claims, didn’t mention any names and said that the same Nihang leader seen with Tomar was defending the main accused in the killing.

Punjab Dy CM claims foul play in Singhu lynching

Further emphasising the relevance of the photo, Randhawa in a statement said that the recent disclosures have taken the lynching incident to a new turn. “There appeared to be a deep-rooted conspiracy to defame the farmers' stir”, the minister claimed. He further said that Lakhbir Singh, the Dalit victim who belonged to Cheema Kalan village in Tarn Taran district, was very poor. “We need to find out who lured him to the Singhu border and who paid for his travel as he could not even afford his meals”, the Punjab minister added.

The deputy CM said that he has instructed the local administration to investigate the situation and to learn under what circumstances the man was taken from his home to the Singhu border. He also said that the Nihang leader will need to explain his meeting with N S Tomar. He also said that the leader must clear whether he was mandated to meet Tomar by the farmers' organisations spearheading the campaign against the three black farm laws.

Singhu border lynching

In a horrific incident, a 35-year-old man was found tied to a barricade with one of his arms chopped off, near the Singhu border on Friday. His body was mutilated with over 10 injuries caused by sharp weapons. The body was later taken for postmortem to a nearby civil hospital by the police. The victim has been named as Lakhbir Singh, a Dalit Sikh labourer, according to the FIR accessed by Republic Media Network. 

According to police, Lakhbir Singh was a Dalit Sikh labourer from Cheema Khurd village in Punjab's Tarn Taran district and was allegedly living with the Nihangs in their tent near the Singhu border. The Nihangs have accused the deceased of desecrating the holy Sarbloh Granth. 

Image: Instagram/ ANI