On October 15, 2021, a 35-year-old Dalit man named Lakhbir Singh was brutally mutilated and murdered during farmers’ protest at the Singhu border. His mutilated body was discovered near the protest site at Kundli in Haryana’s Sonipat district. Following the killing, four accused, namely—Narain Singh, Govind Preet Singh, Sarabjeet Singh, and Bhagwant Singh—were arrested and confessed to committing the gruesome murder.
As debates around the 2021 farmers’ protest continue, a haunting image of Lakhbir Singh’s son holding a photo of his father, whose mutilated body was found hanging from poles, has been circulating on the internet. While the murder shocked many, questions are being raised about what happened to the accused and where they are now. This report answers all these questions.
The four accused have been in jail since the case was registered. Both the lower courts and the High Courts have made harsh comments while dismissing their bail pleas. The court said, “They have done it (killed Lakhbir) as if they had hanged out Jesus Christ in the First Century.”
In its final remarks, the court stated that the brutality shown by the accused reflected their extreme fanaticism. The court emphasised that the deceased was neither given a chance to be heard nor an opportunity to defend himself.
Court noted, “They done it (killed Lakhbir) as if they had hanged out Jesus Christ in First Century.”
The court issued harsh remarks while dismissing the bail application. The court noted, “One of the Nihangs amputated his left hand and one of the Nihangs had amputated his leg and made him hang out beside the police barricade for dishonour of Holy book of Sikhs (Guru Granth Sahib). He along with others has done as if they had hanged out Jesus Christ in First Century.”
The court further stated, “Now it is not the age of priests or of kings, it is an era of democracy. Nobody can be allowed to take law in one’s own hands, if the Holy Book was dishonoured, the accused could be taken to the police and the police could have registered the case against him after his arrest.”
The court also quoted a holy text: ““Sura So Pehchanye jo lade deen ke het, purja purja kat mare, kab hu na chade khet.” (He is recognised as a true warrior who fights for the cause of religion, who, even if cut into pieces, does not abandon the field of battle.)The Sikh religion is the Holiest Religion in the world. Neither the Guru nor Guru Granth Sahib are afraid of any evil spirit. They do not require any help or support for their survival.”
In its final remarks, while dismissing the bail application, the court noted, “The brutality on the person of the victim shows fanaticism of the accused. Even the deceased was not heard nor was he given any opportunity of hearing in such circumstances, the accused are not entitled to the concession of bail. Therefore, keeping in view the gravity of the offence alleged to be committed by the accused, the bail application of accused Narain Singh, Govind Preet Singh, and Sarabjeet Singh is without merit and is rejected. It is hereby made clear that the order of this court shall have no bearing on the merits of the case.”
What happened with Lakhbir as per the FIR?
Shortly after Lakhbir’s murder, an FIR (number: 605/2021) dated October 15, 2021, was registered at the Kundli police station in Sonipat district, Haryana.
According to the FIR, ASI Sandeep, stationed at Kundli Police Station, received information at around 5:00 a.m., October 15, 2021, about a gruesome incident during the “Kisan Movement.” It was reported that “Nihangs” had severed a man’s hand and hung him on an iron barricade with a rope.
ASI Sandeep, along with Constables Pardeep and Somdutt, rushed to the scene near the Singhu Border, where they found the man’s body hanging from the barricade. He was already dead, surrounded by a group of “Nihangs.”
The police tried to gather information, but no one cooperated, and they were not allowed to remove the body. The identity of the deceased could not be immediately determined, and it was believed that unknown individuals had murdered the man by cutting off his hand and foot.
A case under Section 302/34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered, and the investigation was taken over by Sub-Inspector Shamsher Singh. The body was sent for post-mortem at a civil hospital, where it was kept for 72 hours for identification. During the investigation, it was found that the deceased was from a Scheduled Caste community, leading to the addition of Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act.
The deceased was identified as Lakhbir Singh, also known as Tita, son of Harnam Singh, from Chima Kalan village, Punjab, on October 16, 2021. Lakhbir Singh’s body was handed over to his family for cremation.
Accused confessing to the brutal murder
DSP then took over the investigation, and on October 15, 2021, Sarabjit Singh, son of Kashmir Singh from Bithwa village in Punjab, was arrested based on evidence of his involvement. During police custody, Sarabjit Singh confessed and led the police to the recovery of the sword used in the crime. Bhagwant Singh and Preet Singh were also arrested on October 16, 2021, after evidence of their involvement surfaced. Narain Singh was arrested on October 17, 2021, and also produced the sword, clothes worn during the incident, and a mobile phone, all of which were seized by the police.
The investigation revealed evidence tampering, leading to the addition of charges under Section 201 of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act. Bhagwant and Gobindpreet Singh handed over the clothes they wore during the incident, and the crime scenes were identified. Sarabjit Singh and Narain Singh identified the specific locations where Lakhbir Singh’s hand and leg were amputated. Blood-soaked soil from the crime scene was also collected.
Additional charges under Sections 148, 149, 109, and 114 of the IPC were added after further investigation, while Section 34 was dropped. The accused were produced in court and interrogated during their police remand before being sent to judicial custody.
Sarabjit Singh revealed in his statement that he amputated Lakhbir Singh’s hand on Aman Singh’s orders. Similarly, Bhagwant and Gobindpreet Singh corroborated that Sarabjit amputated Lakhbir’s hand on Aman’s instigation, leading to Lakhbir’s death.
A charge sheet against Sarabjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh, Govind Preet Singh, and Narain Singh was submitted to the court on January 4, 2022.
On August 23, 2022, the Sonipat District Court dismissed the bail applications of all the accused except Aman Singh. Aman Singh was granted interim bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as his custodial interrogation was not required by the police.
Who did what?
The investigation revealed that accused Narain Singh had led the police to recover the clothes he was wearing at the time of the crime, as per his disclosure statement. The clothes were stained with blood, and these items were collected, packaged, and taken into police possession. The police also documented the location where the clothes were found.
Similarly, accused Gobind Preet Singh made a disclosure statement, leading to the preparation of a site plan of the crime scene based on his directions. He also led the police to recover a jacket with bloodstains, which was collected and the recovery location documented by the police.
Accused Sarabjeet Singh also disclosed the location of the sword used in the crime, which was stained with blood. The sword was recovered, packaged, and taken into police possession, and the location of the recovery was documented.
It is now evident that accused Narain Singh, Govind Preet Singh, and Sarabjeet Singh were actively involved in the murder of Lakhbir Singh. Along with others, they assaulted him, stripped him of his clothes, and took him to the police barricades at the Singhu Border.
Bail applications rejected in High Court
Following the court’s order, the applicants moved to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The bail application of Gobind Preet Singh (Case Number: CRM-M-30369/2023) was dismissed repeatedly on July 7, August 9, August 29, and September 19, 2023. For accused Narain Singh (Case Number: CRM-M-30839/2023), the bail application was dismissed on September 19, 2023. The bail application for accused Bhagwant Singh (Case Number: CRM-M-41461-2022) was denied on September 15, 2022, November 17, 2022, and January 25, 2023. He has refiled his bail application (Case Number: CRA-S-2564-2024), which is currently pending, with a hearing scheduled for October 15, 2024.
None of the accused has been granted bail. The High Court, while hearing the applications, dismissed the cases, stating that granting bail could lead to the tampering of evidence.
