Kaithal: It’s a usual stretch for Sukhwindar Singh, from his furniture shop to his house in Haryana’s Kaithal. But on Monday night things took an ugly turn when he was just about 2 km from his house.
At the railway crossing barely 2 km from his house in Kaithal, two men on a motorcycle allegedly called him “Khalistani” and told him to hurry up.
Singh asked them to shut up and moved ahead with his scooty. What followed after, he alleged, is an onslaught of verbal abuse and physical assault.
“I was on a Scooty and heading home. It was around 9:30 pm. These two men were also at the railway crossing with me. A second after the train passed, they told me — ‘Khalistani, move quickly’,” 47-year-old Singh, sitting in Kaithal civil hospital with his head bandaged, said.
“They had followed me from the railway crossing for 200 m and then started abusing again. One of them then hit me with bricks,” Singh said. “My turban had also fallen off. They hit me and left. Local residents helped me, and the police came.”
“While assaulting me they said, ‘We have been in jail earlier as well so we don’t care. We will kill you. We will remind you of 1984’,” Singh said.
On Tuesday, the Kaithal Police lodged an FIR under Sections of 295A (insulting religious beliefs), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 341 (wrongful restraint), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code on the basis of Singh’s statement.
This episode comes at a time when there is a growing concern about the resurgence of radicalism in Punjab where two radicals — Amritpal Singh and Sarabjit Singh Khalsa — won in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami said that the incident has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs around the world and added that the Haryana government should take the matter seriously.
Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia also condemned the incident, saying that the “hate crime” was a result of bad mouthing of Sikhs by actor-turned-MP Kangana Ranaut.
He further urged the BJP high command to take notice of hate being allegedly spread by Kangana against the Sikhs.
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No arrests so far
Meanwhile, Kaithal Superintendent of Police, Upasana told ThePrint that Singh’s medical report confirmed that he was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
The police are now investigating what had transpired Monday night and the sequence of events. Eyewitnesses, according to the police, have also stated that Singh was intoxicated.
“We have to substantiate allegations made in the complaint, and we are looking to arrest the accused. CCTVs are being scanned; we are hopeful of catching the duo soon,” the Kaithal SP told ThePrint.
“Eyewitnesses have said that the motorcycle and the scooty had touched each other while the men were trying to cross the railway crossing, after which Sukhwindar Singh started abusing the men on the motorcycle. They (eye-witnesses) have said that it was a matter of road rage. We are verifying all facts,” a police source said.
Later, the Kaithal SP said that a four-member SIT has been formed under DSP Gurvinder to investigate the matter. “We are trying to collect all the CCTV footage. Since it was at night, the number plate isn’t clear in footage. Five teams are working on this. We are also recording statements of all eyewitnesses,” the SP added.
Singh runs a furniture shop in Kaithal, where he moved 10 years ago from his native Bihta village. A father of two, Singh adopted the children of his elder brother after the latter’s demise.
Singh’s youngest son Hargun said, “Yes, my father had consumed alcohol but that can’t negate the fact that they called him a ‘Khalistani’. My father tried to protect himself, and even pushed one of them away in self-defence. Then, the other person came from behind and hit him with bricks.”
“The ones who hit him were also drunk,” the 15-year-old said.
The attack lasted for about 3-4 mins, according to Singh.
On ground, ThePrint saw blood spots at the spot where the attack is said to have taken place Monday night.
“These things have never happened here before. Hindus and Sikhs have always lived in peace. It’s the work of miscreants who want to divide the society by calling us Khalistani and threatening us,” Singh said.
Sonu, a fruit vendor near the area where Singh was hit with a brick, said that the melee happened when they were having dinner.
“When we rushed out, multiple bikes and cars had stopped. People were helping the victim. We had heard them abusing each other but hadn’t paid attention before it turned into a physical attack,” the fruit vendor said. “The men then sat on their bikes and went straight. There is a petrol pump within 500 m, and the police chowki also isn’t far. CCTV must have captured them fleeing.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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