National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairman Vijay Sampla has asked Giani Harpreet Singh, chief priest of the Akal Takht — the highest Sikh temporal seat — to ensure that the ‘bhog’ ceremony of Lakhbir Singh, who was allegedly murdered in Haryana’s Sonipat, is performed as per Sikh code of living.
Mr. Sampla in a letter to Mr. Singh said, “You must be aware of the brutal murder of Lakhbir Singh, a Scheduled Caste Sikh from Punjab, at the farmers’ protest site at Singhu near the Delhi-Haryana border. You must have also got the information that some people, especially the members of Satkar committee, objected to the victim’s cremation as per Sikh rituals, citing sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
“However, in the viral video, the culprits and other people can be seen saying Lakhbir Singh had disrespected the Sikh holy book but in reality, no video has surfaced on the social media or news organisations which can prove that Lakhbir Singh did the sacrilege.
“In one of the viral videos, Lakhbir Singh was seen lying on the ground with his amputated hand, whereas in the second video, he was hanged upside down near the main stage of protesting farmers’ organisation. The third viral video shows that he was hanged with a road barricade, probably after his death.”
Mr. Sampla said we firmly believe that Lakhbir Singh should not be stated as ‘guilty’ until the police investigation proves the same.