Sangrur protest after youth’s suicide: Congress leader Deepa among four held

The arrests came after the victim’s family and supporters refused to allow the post-mortem and cremation, continuing their protest outside the Sangrur civil hospital mortuary

Congress leader Rajinder Deepa and three relatives of a 23-year-old man who died after allegedly consuming poison on September 25 were arrested on Thursday for allegedly obstructing police during a standoff over the youth’s cremation, police said.

Eight other relatives, including the youth’s mother, were also taken into preventive custody, said Sangrur DSP Dalbir Singh. (HT)

Eight other relatives, including the youth’s mother, were also taken into preventive custody, said Sangrur DSP Dalbir Singh.

The arrests came after the victim’s family and supporters refused to allow the post-mortem and cremation, continuing their protest outside the Sangrur civil hospital mortuary.

Protesting since the youth’s death, they have been demanding the arrest of the four accused — sarpanch Deep Singh, his brother Gurinder Singh, alias Goga, former panchayat member Harbans Singh and his wife — who were booked on September 28 for allegedly abetting the suicide.

The family is also demanding the addition of provisions from the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to the FIR, alleging the four had threatened them and hurled casteist slurs.

Sangrur DSP Dalbir Singh said those arrested included Deepa, the victim’s maternal grandfather, a cousin and another relative. He alleged that the protesters abused police personnel and vandalised a police vehicle, following which an FIR was registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for obstructing and disobeying public servants, and showing disrespect to a human corpse.

Police eventually conducted the post-mortem and cremated the body in the presence of villagers on Thursday after the family refused to participate. Singh said the hospital had informed police that the body was decomposing and causing a foul smell, while a magistrate was also deputed to inform the family to proceed with the post-mortem and cremation, but they did not relent.

Rajinder Deepa is the brother-in-law of Punjab cabinet minister and state AAP president Aman Arora. A senior Congress leader, Deepa briefly joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in 2018 before returning to the Congress in June 2025.