Six get life term for Dalit youth’s murder in Mansa
Court also imposes ₹25,000 fine each on convicts belonging to a rival group of a liquor smuggler
Six persons were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Mansa court on Saturday for the cold-blooded murder of a 20-year-old Dalit youth in 2016 in the district.
Additional district and sessions judge Dinesh Kumar also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 each on Balbir Singh, Hardeep Singh, Amandeep Singh, Sadhu Singh, Sita Singh and Babrik Singh who were convicted under Sections 302 (murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), etc of the Indian Penal Code.
Sukhchain Singh, alias Palli was killed by a rival group of a liquor smuggler at Gharangana village on October 10, 2016, evening, before his leg was chopped off while being thrashed at Balbir’s house, one of the convicts.
Sukhchain’s father Resham Singh reached the spot and took him to hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on the way.
Three days after the murder, the victim’s family along with members of the Communist Party of India (CPI Marxist-Leninist) sat on a dharna at the Mansa civil hospital, refusing to allow post-mortem examination on the body without a leg. On the third day, the police found the chopped leg from the fields near Balbir’s house.
Malkeet Singh, an eyewitness in the case, said, “Sukhchain’s killers have threatened me so many times asking me not to be a witness in the case. But I took a stand. They even offered me ₹30 lakh or 1 acre land to turn hostile in court,”
A teary eyed Resham Singh, a labourer, said the family members of some of the convicts were close to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) senior leaders during the previous government when the incident took place.
“Naranjan Singh, the grandfather of convicts Hardeep and Amandeep, was a driver of the Badals in 2016 and their families have good relations. Due to some political influences, the police named the six in the FIR after we sat on a dharna for three days in the civil hospital here,” Resham said.