Chandigarh: The body of a man with one of his hands chopped off was found tied to a metal barricade near a farmers’ protest site at Kundli in Haryana’s Sonipat district on Friday, police said.
In a video clip that has gone viral on social media platforms, some Nihangs are seen standing as the man lies on the ground in a pool of blood with his chopped off left hand lying next to him.
The Nihangs are heard in the clip saying the deceased has been punished for desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs.
The deceased, Lakhbir Singh, was stated to be a labourer from Punjab’s Tarn Taran and was aged around 35 years, police said, adding that the body was found tied to a metal barricade near a stage put up by the farmers protesting against three agriculture laws of the Centre at the site for over 10 months.
The farmers’ protest site is located close to the Delhi-Haryana border at Singhu.
“The Kundli police station received information at 5 am that a body was found near the farmers’ protest site,” a Sonipat police official said.
He said the deceased was found wearing only a pair of shorts.
“We have registered a case and further investigations are on to find out the culprits,” Inspector General of Police, Rohtak Range, Sandeep Khirwar told PTI over the phone.
Police said they tried to question some people near the protest site regarding the incident.
Initially, some people resisted the entry of the police in the area and were not cooperating, they added.
The video clip shows the Nihangs asking the man where had he come from.
The deceased is heard saying something in Punjabi and pleading before the Nihangs.
The clip shows the Nihangs repeatedly asking him who had sent him for committing sacrilege.
A case of murder has been registered against unidentified persons, police said.
Asked about the video clip circulating on social media platforms, a Sonipat police official said the matter is being investigated.
The body has been sent to the Sonipat civil hospital for post-mortem.
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