Bathinda: Influencer’s murder trial deferred to Nov as witnesses skip hearing

It was the first hearing after the district court framed charges last month against the alleged mastermind and hardliner Amritpal Singh Mehron, 30

A sessions court in Bathinda on Tuesday deferred the trial in the murder case of digital content creator Kanchan Kumari, alias Kanchan Bhabhi, to November after witnesses failed to appear.

Mehron was deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April this year. (HT)

It was the first hearing after the district court framed charges last month against the alleged mastermind and hardliner Amritpal Singh Mehron, 30.

Mehron was deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April this year.

The accused’s counsel, Manpreet Singh Brar, said that the deceased’s mother and complainant, Girja Devi, and her son Naresh Kumar did not appear in court.

The sessions court will next hear the matter on November 19.

The 30-year-old social media content creator was found dead inside her car in the parking lot of Adesh Medical College and Hospital in Bhucho, Bathinda, on June 11 last year.

According to the police, Kanchan was strangled on June 10 last year over what Mehron and his co-accused considered “immoral content” that hurt Sikh sentiments.

Police investigation found that five men were involved in the crime, but only four—Mehron, Jaspreet, Nimratjit and Ranjit—have been identified so far.

Jaspreet and Nimratjit were arrested the very next day. Mehron, the alleged mastermind, was deported, while his associate Ranjit was arrested subsequently.

Meanwhile, Mehron was produced before a Moga district court on Tuesday in a separate criminal case registered against him in 2024 for allegedly glorifying violence on social media platforms.

Moga chief judicial court (CJM) Insan fixed October 6 as the next date of hearing.