The Punjab Police on Saturday made a second arrest in connection with the lynching of a man at the farmers' protest site at Singhu border, while two more surrendered, and the family of the slain labourer intensified calls for probe into the incident. Narain Singh was arrested from Amarkot village near Jandiala Guru in Amritsar district, a day after Sarabjit Singh, a 'Nihang', surrendered to Haryana Police and claimed responsibility for the brutal killing. The latter was remanded to seven days in custody. The mortal remains of Lakhbir Singh, a dalit labourer whose body was found on Friday tied to a barricade at the Delhi-Haryana border with a hand chopped off and multiple wounds caused by sharp-edged weapons, was cremated amid tight security in the presence of his 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.
Lakhbir's family has claimed conspiracy in the incident. The victim's wife Jaspreet Kaur and sister Raj Kaur said Lakhbir Singh "had a deep respect for the holy Guru Granth Sahib. "He was a god-fearing man who could not ever think of desecrating a holy book. Whenever he used to go to a gurdwara, he would pray for the well-being of his family and the society," said Jaspreet Kaur. He had no criminal record and there was no report of him being a bad character, the victim's family said and demanded a high-level probe into the entire episode to bring out the truth.
Even though the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) had denied any connection to Nihangs, the National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NSCS) Chairperson Vijay Sampla on Saturday said the farmer leaders cannot "wash their hands of" the incident. Speaking to reporters, Sampla said whatever incident happens at the protest site, farmer leaders are responsible for it. "Their role is the same as that of culprits. They cannot wash their hands of the incident," he said. Sampla made the comments after meeting around 15 dalit outfits who submitted a memorandum to the NCSC demanding stringent action against those who killed the man. Sampla has also sought a report from Haryana police into the incident.
-Inputs from PTI
