Is there an attempt to weaken the farmers’ movement by playing politics of ‘hurt feelings’?

Was the entire incident of the killing on the Singhu border part of a larger conspiracy by vested interests to malign or break the historic peasant movement that stood against black agricultural laws? Is the meeting of the Nihang leader with the Union Minister in the presence of former police officers not an indication of the ongoing efforts for this purpose?

A lot of questions have arisen regarding the killing of Lakhbir Singh, a Dalit Sikh on the Singhu border in the name of ‘desecration’ of religious texts.

Recently, the Haryana government has also registered a case of ‘debauchery’ on the deceased Lakhbir Singh under section 295, there is talk of a video clip going viral, where the injured Lakhbir is telling someone that he has been given thirty thousand rupees. Went – although it is not clear who gave it and for what reason – not only that he is also giving some phone number… which is unclear.

It is to be known that the police of Haryana was already investigating this murder and now new facts are coming out, and since the deceased is a resident of Punjab, the Punjab government has also set up a SIT to investigate the matter. has decided to constitute

Significantly, the man who allegedly tortured and eventually killed Lakhbir has confessed to his crime, even saying that he will take such action again if such a case comes to the fore. Not only this, the head of the Nihang sect to which he belonged had also glorified this action while talking to the press.

Remember, the list of questions raised by this murder is long!

Was it just a murder case given a political colour; Keep in mind that in today’s society ‘religion has reached every sphere of life’ which has deafened our sensibilities regarding the suffering of ‘other’?

Was Lakhbir tempted by someone to reach the Singhu border, the ‘big man’ Lakhbir used to tell his sister, who kept talking to Lakhbir on the phone. Lakhbir’s family and relatives are shocked by the incident, according to them, Lakhbir used to take drugs and rarely went outside the village.

Was the entire episode part of a larger conspiracy by vested interests to malign or break the historic peasant movement that had arisen over the three black laws brought about in the agriculture sector?

Can this news be called a mere coincidence that an old newspaper published from northern India has published a news with a photo that the head of the Nihang community, who took responsibility for the murder on the Singhu border, is meeting Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar properly? And some notorious police officers of Punjab’s history are also present in this meeting. Was it a meeting to chalk out a strategy to end the Kisan Andolan?

It is pertinent to underline the fact that the leaders of the historic peasant movement condemned this barbaric killing and asked the government to not only investigate the matter impartially but also arrest the real culprits and bring the harshest punishment.

Do the allegations of former Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar have merit in the allegation that central agencies are behind this murder, who want to defame the movement?

Is the murder of a Dalit Sikh and the simultaneous raising of the issue of ‘sacrimony’, which is still a burning issue in Punjab, all this is coming to the fore to widen the wall between Dalit Sikhs and Jat Sikhs – so that the most First the issue of Dalit Chief Minister should be weakened?

There can be many other such questions. Certainly, this does not end the seriousness of the crime, nor does it weaken the fact that we are lax in the matter of action against the guilty. Obviously, a proper investigation is necessary in the entire matter.

The politics of religion had engulfed the whole of Punjab in the fire of terror a few decades ago and we should not forget that the forces obsessed with religion can go to any extent to maintain their power.

In fact, the issue is more worrisome because of the fact that in Punjab the issue of sacrilege has been present in the politics of the state for the last few years. And any small spark can turn into a fire.

Remember that for Punjab, the year 2015 was often in the limelight when several incidents of ‘desecration’ of scriptures came to the fore, and people came out on the streets. The excitement about this matter increased so much that two protesters were also killed.

In order to show itself with the sentiments of the public, the Punjab cabinet also passed a bill in this regard, under which the punishment for ‘desecration’ of texts was from three years to life imprisonment, which was passed on 22 March 2016. was passed.

That law made by the then Akali Dal-BJP government was returned by the central government on the ground that only the Guru Granth Sahib was mentioned in it. Now the ruling Congress government in the state, following the footsteps of its previous government, has included texts of other religions in it and in a way has opened the way for life imprisonment for hurting sentiments.

Keep in mind that Section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code – in which a whole chapter is related to ‘violations related to religion’, does not define ‘religion’ or ‘righteousness’. That is to say, this law of the Punjab government, which in the name of hurting religious ‘feelings’, (which cannot be explained, which is a very blurred area), can put people in jails for life.

Enlightened people and justice-loving people from all parts of the country had raised their objection to this law.

A leading newspaper wrote that ‘if other states also resorted to similar religious populism, then the day is not far when India will also look like Pakistan.

In this episode of those who raised objections to this law of Punjab, the statement of retired civil service officers has also been underlined. An open letter was written by this group called ‘Constitutional Conduct’ to the then Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

The letter said that while the principles of secularism have consistently included the role of religion in the affairs of the state, “this step will strengthen the hold of parochialism and strengthen religious fundamentalism on all sides”. Will get it.’

Describing blasphemy laws as a “direct threat to freedom of expression”, the letter said such laws across the world are “against minorities and vulnerable sections, to harass them, to seek revenge against them and to settle personal and professional disputes”. for’ and these are all cases that have nothing to do with blasphemy.

Underlining that ‘India has already paid a great price for appeasing the extremist sentiments of different religions, for immediate political gains, be it the Shah Bano issue, Taslima Nasreen or the opening of the Babri Masjid gates’ , therefore, it is the need of the hour that the scope being extended to all forms of religious fundamentalism should be limited more and more.’

It was demanded in the letter that the Indian Penal Legislation (Punjab Amendment Bill, 2018; and the Criminal Penal Code (Punjab Amendment Bill, 2018) should be withdrawn.

Ironically, how such a law can prove to be fatal for the common people, it is also clear, due to which two women were killed five years ago. It should be called a strange coincidence that the name of the women killed in both the cases was Balwinder Kaur.

We must not forget that no matter whether it is the issue of firing during the Akali Dal-BJP regime or other issues related to sacrilege, no matter is properly resolved yet.

Not only this, one of the reasons for the dispute between former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu was that the issue was not resolved properly.

Now the elections are near. And then the mobilization of people continues. The issue of the killing of Lakhbir, a Dalit Sikh in the name of ‘sacrimony’, can once again give air to this issue.

Any such situation provides a ‘good opportunity in disaster’ for everyone who generalizes religion and politics by mixing them together. Are we ready to let the congenial atmosphere of Punjab become dirty?