An purported photograph of Nihang sect chief Baba Aman Singh with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar sparked controversy on Tuesday. Simultaneously, the Sikh cleric alleged that the central government offered money to the Nihangs to leave the protest site of the farmers in Singhu. The picture features Gurmeet Singh Pinky, a former Punjab police officer who was dismissed from service and convicted in a murder case. Along with this, BJP leader Harvinder Garewal is also there. It is believed that this photo is from a meeting held about two months ago.
A member of the Aman Singh sect is the main accused in the Singhu lynching of a Dalit Sikh. Aman Singh had justified the murder in his statement after the incident.
Aman Singh alleged on Tuesday, “I was offered Rs 10 lakh to leave the protest site of the farmers. My organization was also offered Rs 1 lakh, but we cannot be bought.”
He said that the Nihang organizations will decide on October 27 whether to stay in Singhu or not. The agriculture ministry did not respond to queries on the matter.
When contacted, Gurmeet Singh said, “It is true that I know Baba Aman and we went to the minister’s house in August, but the purpose of this meeting was different. I had gone for some personal work. The head of the Nihang sect was talking about agricultural bills, but no offer of money was given to him in front of me. I don’t know what happened between him and Tomar.”
Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: Supreme Court reprimanded UP for investigation, said- Government is dragging its feet
Tomar is meeting the leaders of the farmers’ movement to resolve the impasse over agricultural laws. Meanwhile, Punjab Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Tuesday said that the alleged picture of Tomar with the Nihang leader has created doubts in the minds of the people.
Without naming anyone, Randhawa claimed that the same Nihang leader was “defending” the prime accused in the murder. The Nihang group had accused the victim of desecrating a Sikh holy scripture.
Randhawa said in the statement, “In the wake of recent revelations about one of the Nihang leaders being in touch with the Government of India, especially Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the incident of lynching has now taken a completely different turn. “
“There seems to be a deep conspiracy to defame the farmers’ movement,” the minister claimed. He said that Lakhbir Singh, a Dalit victim, a resident of Cheema Kalan village in Tarn Taran district, is extremely poor.
“We need to find out who lured him to the Singhu border and who gave him money to go there as he could not even buy food,” the Punjab minister said.
The Deputy CM said that he has directed the local administration to find out under what circumstances the person was taken from his house to the Singhu border.
Former state Congress president Sunil Jakhar alleged that “agencies” could have played a role in the killing at the Singhu border, but did not elaborate.
“The BJP is trying to tarnish the struggle of secular farmers as a Sikh movement to label the Sikhs who have been protesting for a long time as terrorists,” Jakhar alleged. He said that Punjabis are the sword of the country.
Facebook us for social media updates (https://www.facebook.com/moneycontrolhindi/) and Twitter (.) to follow.
.