Ex-sarpanch refuses to cremate son till AAP MLA Ugoke booked

Family members of Sukhbinder Singh Calcutta, who was shot dead near Sehna village bus stand two days ago, refused to give their consent for the post-mortem examination and perform his last rites.

Malkit Kaur, mother of Sukhbinder and ex-sarpanch of Sehna village, said the family won’t cremate him till an FIR wasn’t registered against Bhadaur AAP legislator Labh Singh Ugoke.

Sukhbinder shot into limelight in January 2023 when Ugoke courted controversy by telling him that he would have been thrashed and imprisoned for opposing the government if any other party had been in power.

Since then, Sukhbinder had been raising issues related to his security on social media. The protesters said though the police had arrested three suspects, “real masterminds” were still at large. They vowed to continue the protest until the main culprits were arrested and justice was delivered.

Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s father, Tarsem Singh, said those who raised voice of the people often faced resistance from the system.

The police have so far arrested three accused, including the alleged shooter, seized a pistol and car reportedly used in the crime and three cartridges.

Those arrested were identified as Harjinder Singh, alias Jinder; Gurdeep Dass, alias Deepi Bawa; and Jagwinder Singh, alias Paplu. Deepi Bawa’s wife had unsuccessfully contested the election against the deceased’s mother. Both Jinder and Sukhbinder were said to be close friends.

Blame game continues

AAP on Monday accused the Congress of playing politics over the tragic murder. AAP leaders Baltej Pannu and Neel Garg showed photos of accused Deepi Bawa with PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, alleging that former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was falsely trying to blame the state government, even though the accused was close to the PCC chief. “We want answers from Raja Warring on this, and what was the motive behind the murder,” said Pannu.

Garg claimed that Channi was making false allegations against AAP MLA Labh Singh Ugoke.

Congress MLA from Barnala, Kuldeep Singh Kala Dhillon, said merely having photographs with someone does not mean closeness. “We want a fair probe into the incident. It is a fact that Deepi Bawa’s family is affiliated with the Congress. Sukhbinder was also once a very active worker of the Congress but later distanced himself,” he added.