Out on bail, sacrilege accused beheaded in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib

Mewa Singh, 45, was hacked to death by an unidentified man in his house as police probe links to desecration case.

A 45-year-old man accused in a 2020 sacrilege case was beheaded inside his house at Ladpur Tooran village near Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib district during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

A 45-year-old man accused in a 2020 sacrilege case was beheaded inside his house at Ladpur Tooran village near Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district around Monday midnight.

Police said the victim, Mewa Singh, had recently been released on bail and was working in the area as a daily-wage labourer.

According to the police, an unidentified assailant intruded into Mewa Singh’s residence around midnight and attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon. The assault was so severe that the victim was decapitated. The attacker managed to flee immediately after committing the crime.

Upon receiving information about the incident, police rushed to the village, cordoned off the area, and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. A forensic team also visited the spot to collect evidence, while the authorities launched a manhunt to track down the suspect.

Fatehgarh Sahib senior superintendent of police Shubham Aggarwal said an investigation is underway. Mewa Singh was facing trial for his alleged involvement in a 2020 sacrilege incident at a gurdwara at Ladpur Tooran. Investigators are currently examining all potential motives, including whether the murder was a retaliatory attack linked to the pending sacrilege case.