Nihangs protest outside Jalandhar SSP office

A group of Nihang Sikhs, angered over the alleged targeting of one of the elderly Nihang by a village sarpanch, headed for the Jalandhar SSP office, on their horses and staged a protest outside the office of SSP Harvinder Singh Virk today.

Adamant to get an FIR against a jathedar cancelled, a large number of Nihangs gathered outside the SSP office, the gates of which were closed by the police.

The atmosphere outside the SSP office grew tense as the protesting Nihangs sought cancellation of FIR in half an hour. Later, they also met the SSP.

They alleged that a village sarpanch had got a false FIR registered against Jathedar Baba Hari Singh because the jathedar had supported a poor family, whose son, they alleged, had been murdered.

They said on February 8, a child Saurav from Lambra had been taken away by acquaintance Honey on the pretext of eating out, but did not return home. The family later found the child had died.

Tirth Kaur, Saurav’s mother, alleged that Honey took her son away on February 8 and at 12 midnight they were informed that her son met with an accident.

Upon reaching the spot, the family found the son had died. The family alleged, in the incident, neither Honey was injured, nor any road markings were seen on the bike. They alleged that their son was murdered. A complaint was made to the police.

While police released two youths after interrogation, the name of Sarpanch Iqbal Singh (Kalyanpur village) also came up in the incident.

The family alleged that the sarpanch along with others, got the son murdered and threatened the family members.

A counter FIR was registered against the Nihang Baba Hari Singh by the sarpanch over another dispute.

Virk, said, “The sarpanch and the jathedar’s parties have long standing disputes and both parties have FIRs against each other. The death of Saurav is under investigation and an FIR was registered but so far it seems an accident, there is no proof that it was a murder.”