20-year-old man, lover brutally murdered in Punjab’s Tarn Taran

A 20-year old Jat Sikh man and his lover, also a Jat Sikh were murdered by the latter’s family in Khemkaran village, close to the India-Pakistan border in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.

The man’s naked corpse was found in a gutter in the woman’s uncle’s home, while her body was discovered bundled in a tarpaulin inside the house. The deceased have been identified as Husanpreet Singh, a high-school graduate who has been helping his father in the fields, and Ramandeep Kaur.

The accused comprise the woman’s father, Jassa Singh, his three brothers, Sher Singh, Harpal Singh and Bohar Singh, his son Aakash, his wife Manjit Kaur, Sher Singh’s son Rana, Harpal Singh’s wife Manpreet Kaur and Bohar Singh’s son Ghulla. The man’s house is merely 60 meters from the accused’s.

In March, the Supreme Court came down hard on the practice of honour killings (where families murder their sons/daughters who are in a relationship with people from other castes or religions, or, in some cases, the same clan) and on the local juries (also called khap panchayats) delivering such judgements. The practice is especially prevalent in rural areas of Punjab and Haryana.

The man’s father Parwinder Singh said his son went to feed the buffaloes on Sunday and never came back. On Monday, he says his borther told him he had seen Husanpreet being dragged towards the accused’s house. That was when he learnt of the relationship between his son and Ramandeep, he adds.

Based on his complaint, the Khemkaran police arrested Jassa Singh who, according to a senior police officer who asked not be named as he is not authorized to talk to the media, confessed to the crime.

According to the police officer, Jassa Singh and his brothers hit the man on the head with a plank rendering him unconscious and then strangled him to death. They then turned on Ramandeep, hit her on the head with the same plank, and after rendering her too unconscious, put some pesticide in her mouth, poisoning her. They then hid her body in a tarpaulin.

Jass Singh also led the police to the gutter where the man’s body had been dumped after stripping it.

DSP Sulakhan Singh Mann said that four of the accused, Jassa Singh, Harpal Singh, Manjit Kaur and Manpreet Kaur have been arrested, while the others are absconding. The officer said the police have also recovered the weapon, wooden plank, rope used while committing the crime. “After conducting the post-mortem, the dead-bodies have been handed over to the family members,” he said.

(The story has been updated)