Day after 23-yr-old’s murder in Samrala, six Nihangs arrested
THE ACCUSED HAD ALSO ESTABLISHED A DERA IN KULLEWAL VILLAGE BY ENCROACHING UPON PANCHAYAT LAND, SAID THE POLICE
LUDHIANA: A day after a 23-year-old man from Samrala town succumbed to his injuries after allegedly being “tortured to death”, police arrested six nihangs on Tuesday.
Police said the accused were trying to flee Samrala when they were nabbed.
Those arrested have been identified as Hardeep Singh Laddi and Kalbir Singh of Manjali Kalan village, Harpreet Singh and Gurdewak Singh of Kullewal, Balwinder Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib and Kamaljit Singh Goldy of Utala village.
Their aides, including Satwinder Singh of Neelon Kalan, Arsh of Guru Nanak Road of Samrala and Sukhwinder Singh of Begowal village of Doraha, are yet to be arrested.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP, Samrala) Harwinder Singh Khaira said that more names will be added to the FIR following the information provided by the accused. The case has been registered under Sections 302 (murder), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Arms Act.
Cops said the accused had also established a dera in Kullewal village by illegally encroaching upon panchayat land.
The victim, Avtar Singh, 23, had been picked up by the accused from his house on Sunday on the pretext of questioning him about a woman who had eloped about 10 days ago. A day later, his kin had found his body dumped outside his house.
According to family members, they had tried to reason with the nihangs and requested them to give some water to the 23-year-old but they paid no heed.
On Monday, the family members had staged a protest outside the Samrala police station and blocked Ludhiana-chandigarh road, seeking arrest of the accused.