New Delhi: Stabbed frenziedly by two men at a crowded bus stand at mid-day, 20-year-old Jagjit Singh became the principal figure in the videos of his murder in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district on Sunday. Not a single person came forward to help, Jagjeet’s father said later; all they did was record the horror. Jagjit must have died within seconds of the furious onslaught.
A video of the attack has now gone viral on social media, showing two men relentlessly stabbing Jagjit with knives. There’s no official word on it yet, but the video shows at least 60 stabs in about 40 seconds; some count even more. Bystander apathy was not in short supply: the video also shows people all around the crime in progress, some recording it and others just standing mutely.
The incident took place around 12.30 pm in Kad Gill village of Tarn Taran district. Jagjit, who worked as a disc jockey (DJ), had met Jashanpreet Kaur from Naurangabad village some weeks ago. They decided to marry, but two of her brothers, identified as Jaspreet Singh and Harpreet Singh, disagreed and warned Jagjit to stay away.
Jagjit’s father Tarsem Singh told ThePrint that Jashanpreet’s mother had called Jagjit to meet him at Tarn Taran bus stand on Sunday. He reached there with snacks and cold drinks, awaiting her.
According to Jagjit’s family, Jashanpreet’s brothers Jaspreet and Harpreet were waiting at the bus stand. At first chance, they attacked Jagjit with the knives they were carrying.
“They stabbed Jagjit in his head and neck even after he collapsed. We saw the video and found out about the attack. They kept stabbing him even when he stopped breathing. This happened in one of the most crowded areas,” his father said.
One passer-by, Gurinder Singh, did intervene, managing to overpower Jaspreet. Gurinder sustained injuries while trying to restrain him.
“Jagjit and Jashan had been in a relationship, and wanted to marry. We had approached Jashan’s relatives to discuss the marriage, but they had refused to agree. After a few weeks, the mother was ready to have a conversation,” he said.
Jagjit’s family and the Tarn Taran Police claim the impending love marriage was the reason behind the attack. A senior police officer told ThePrint that the police reached the spot after receiving information about the killing. Official sources said a forensic team was called to the scene and collected evidence as part of the investigation.
Police have arrested Jaspreet Singh, while efforts are underway to trace Harpreet Singh. Authorities are examining the circumstances surrounding the attack and questioning those connected with the case.
“Investigation found that Jashan was in love with Jagjit, but the family had complaints with him. They did not want him to enter her village,” the officer said.
The investigation is ongoing, with police also looking into the sequence of events leading up to the gruesome killing and the role of others who may have been involved.
The post-mortem was conducted at a hospital on Wednesday; the report is awaited.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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