A Nihang Sikh, Parminder Singh, on Saturday surrendered at a gurdwara before police in Amarkot village in Jandiala Guru area of Amritsar in connection with the Singhu border lynching incident.

A police team had gone to arrest him. He had announced to surrender after paying obeisance at Akal Takht. Parminder Singh allegedly murdered Lakhbir Singh, a drug addict, who it is alleged had committed sacrilege.

Meanwhile, a court in Sonepat on Saturday remanded Sarabjit Singh, arrested in connection with the lynching of Lakhbir Singh at the farmers’ protest site at Singhu border, in police custody for seven days, with the accused pointing to the involvement of a few more people in the gruesome killing.

The body of Lakhbir Singh, a labourer from Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, was found on Friday tied to a barricade at the Delhi-Haryana border where the anti-farm law protesters have been camping, with a hand chopped off and multiple wounds caused by sharp-edged weapons, a gruesome incident that was blamed on a group of Nihangs.

A senior police official of Sonepat police said while seeking Sarabjit’s custody, police submitted before the court that they have to make certain recoveries from the arrested accused.  The official said Sarabjit has named four more people during interrogations while pointing to their involvement in the incident.

“We produced Sarabjit before the court. The accused has been remanded in seven days’ police custody by the court,” Sonepat’s Deputy Superintendent of Police, Virender Singh said. “The accused has pointed to the involvement of four more people in the case and taken their names...we are conducting further investigations in this regard. We have to make some recoveries from the arrested accused, including the weapon used in the crime and the clothes he was wearing,” he said.

The total number of accused in the crime could be more than five, the DSP said, adding investigations were on.   

Hours after the macabre crime on Friday, a man wearing the blue robes of the Sikhs’ Nihang order appeared before the media, claiming that he had “punished” the victim for “desecrating” a Sikh holy book. Other Nihangs had claimed he had “surrendered” to police, while police had later said Sarabjit Singh, who hails from Gurdaspur district, has been arrested in the case.

Earlier on Friday, in a video clip that surfaced on social media, some Nihangs were seen standing around the injured man with his severed left hand close to his head. The group was heard accusing him of desecrating a Sikh holy book. The video showed the Nihang group asking the badly injured man, who is pleading with them in Punjabi, where he had come from and who sent him.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had on Friday held a meeting with Home Minister Anil Vij and senior police officers, directing strict action against those found guilty.  Back in his Tarn Taran village, Singh’s family was in shock and said he could never desecrate a holy book. 

A case of murder was registered at the Kundli police station in Sonipat in connection with the lynching incident.

SINGHU INCIDENT SHOULD BE PROBED BY SITTING JUDGE, DEMANDS PUNJAB DY CM RANDHAWA

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Saturday demanded an inquiry from the sitting judge to find out the actual causes of the incident which took place at Singhu Border on Friday.

Randhawa said, this is very sensitive issue, which related to the religious beliefs of the people and on the other hand associated with the farmers who had been peacefully protesting from almost a year against the draconian farm laws of Central Government, adding that, “at this crucial juncture, it was very important to identify anti-social elements inciting religious sentiments and defaming the farmers agitation as these kind of desperate attempts aimed to sabotage this most peaceful and well-disciplined agitation were already being made by some disgruntled elements.”  

Being a Home Minister of the state, the Deputy Chief Minister said the Haryana Government as well as Police could not disassociate itself from this incident as the responsibility of maintaining law and order lies with the State Government concerned. Stressing upon the need to be vigilant and ensure strict monitoring by Haryana Police.