Singhu murder victim's kin demand CBI probe, govt job
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Oct, 2021 10:28 AM
New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS) Singhu border lynching victim Lakhbir Singh's family on Thursday demanded a CBI probe, a government job and a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs.
Lakhbir's family -- wife, daughter, brother and father -- went to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence but as he was unavailable, they met the staff of the Home Minister and put forth their demands.
The staff assured the family that their demands will be conveyed to the Home Minister.
Lakhbir's family had earlier met the National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman Vijay Sampla on October 25 in the national capital.
After meeting the victim's family, Sampla had said that the Commission has taken cognisance of the issue, compensation will be disbursed and a case will be registered under the Prevention of Atrocities Act.
"We will ensure that the kin of victims will be provided employment and compensation," Sampla added.
The Punjab Government has already constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations levelled by Lakhbir's family that he was lured to the Singhu border, the site of the farmers' protest, by unknown people.
After ordering a SIT probe, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa had said that Additional Director General of Police Varinder Kumar would head the SIT, comprising Firozpur Range DIG Inderbir Singh and Tarn Taran SSP Harvinder Singh Virk.
Lakhbir was brutally murdered allegedly by Nihangs on charges of sacrilege of their holy book, the Sarbloh Granth.
Lakhbir was a resident of Cheema Khurd village in Tarn Taran district of Punjab and is survived by his wife Jaspreet Kaur and three children.
The minister and his son are accused in the October 3 incident in which nine persons, including four farmers, were mowed down by SUVs. The minister's son Ashish Mishra has already been arrested.
It's likely that Sidhu will put forth the list of demands in the Punjab government as he is upset with the appointments in the government. He has resigned from the post of state president, but it has not been accepted yet by Sonia Gandhi. The meeting gains significance as it comes ahead of the CWC meeting.
The civil secretariat houses the top offices of the government, including those of the Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and his advisors. Police tried to intervene to restrain the mourners from carrying out the sit-in outside the civil secretariat.
"My son will go to the police tomorrow and assist the probe. He has not escaped anywhere," Mishra said on his arrival in Lucknow. He said that his son was very much in their house in Lakhimpur.
Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday proceeded on indefinite fast in support of his demand for action against Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra and main accused in Sunday's violence in which nine persons, including four farmers, were killed.
Following a tipoff, the DRI sleuths swooped on the port on October 4 and detected the huge narcotics contraband, valued at Rs 125 crore, among boxes of a cooking oil container arriving from Iran and are now probing the possibility of a bigger drug smuggling racket with international ramifications for India and other countries.
