Man disguised as Nihang Sikh sets car ablaze, dies

A 50-year-old man, disguised as a Nihang Sikh, allegedly poured flammable material on his car and set himself ablaze, dying on the spot in Sriganganagar’s Sadbhavna Nagar area. The deceased has been identified as Surjeet Singh.

Police have launched a thorough investigation into the matter. The incident was captured on CCTV, and documents recovered from the car have further complicated the investigation.

According to eyewitnesses, Surjeet Singh drove his car into the street at a very high speed. Suddenly, he poured some flammable material into the car and set it on fire. The car was engulfed in flames, and Singh was severely burned.

He disguised himself as a Nihang Sikh, but whether he was actually a Nihang is a matter of investigation, police said.

As the car caught flames, a neighbour, Parvati Chhabra's daughter Geeta, ran out of the house. Neighbours came out and attempted to douse the fire with buckets of water, but the flames were so intense that Singh could not be rescued.

Upon receiving information about the incident, police and the fire department arrived at the scene. Surjeet Singh was taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead. According to the post-mortem report, approximately 80 per cent of his body was burned.

Police investigation revealed that Surjeet Singh had been in a live-in relationship with Geeta for the last two and a half years. Parvati Chhabra stated that Geeta was married to Rakesh Baveja in Hanumangarh. Three years ago, Geeta and Rakesh had a falling out, after which she began living separately. During this time, she became acquainted with Surjeet Singh, who described himself as a widower. The two began a live-in relationship.

Geeta said Surjit Singh never took her home and kept her in rented houses in various cities, including Rajsamand, Ludhiana and Hanumangarh. He claimed to be a resident of Akhara village in Ludhiana. Their relationship got tense in the last few weeks, and he used to make threatening calls, she alleged.