A young man in Punjab was stabbed repeatedly and thrown outside his house in a badly injured state, with his killers telling his parents, "here's your lion of a son".
The incident took place in Dhilwan tehsil of Kapurthala on Tuesday and, despite the father identifying the main accused, no arrests have been made yet. The case has also sparked a political row, with Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal alleging that "jungle raj" is prevailing in Punjab under the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government.
The young man, Hardeep Singh alias Deepa, had a long-standing dispute with another person from the area, Harpreet Singh alias Happy. Both Deepa and Happy had cases registered against them at the Dhilwan police station in connection with the dispute.
In his complaint, Deepa's father, Gurnam Singh, said his son had not been living at home because he feared arrest. He did, however, come home on Tuesday evening, only to leave with his bank passbook.
Around 10.30 pm, he and his wife heard a knock on their door and, given the late hour, decided to go to the terrace to check. Mr Singh saw Happy and around five other men shouting. "Your son has been killed. His work has been done. Here's your lion of a son," Happy said, before turning around and leaving with his aides.
When they opened the door, they saw Deepa lying in a badly injured state. Deepa told them that Happy and his men had stabbed him with swords and kirpans. He was taken to the civil hospital in Jalandhar, where he was declared dead.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Kuldeep Singh from Dhilwan police station, who is the investigating officer in the case, said, "Many cases were already registered in the police station against both Happy and Deepa. Based on the father's complaint, a case of murder has been registered against Happy and his five unknown associates. We are carrying out raids to nab them."
Referring to Deepa as a kabaddi player, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal said he was saddened to hear of the murder. He said the fearlessness of the murderers shows that "jungle raj" is prevailing in Punjab, and called for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to step down.
"Shocked to learn about the brutal killing of a young Kabaddi player at vill Dhilwan in Kapurthala. See the level of fearlessness of the murderers; they knocked at the door and told the parents: 'Aah maar ditta tuhada Sher putt' (we have killed your lion of a son)," Mr Badal said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“This isn't an isolated incident. There is complete Jungle Raj prevailing in Punjab, where murders, loot, snatchings and robberies are becoming an everyday affair. It's a proven fact that @BhagwantMann is unable to handle the situation. He should step down without any further delay,” he added.
