Lynching of Jagmael Singh

On 6 November 2019, Jagmael Singh, a 37-year-old Dalit construction worker from the village of Changiwala in Sangrur district, Punjab, attended a village panchayat gathering of upper-caste Sikhs in Sangrur chotal. There he had a dispute with a man named Rinku after Singh sat among the upper-caste attendees. Some time later, Rinku and three associates allegedly abducted Singh.

Singh was taken to Rinku's house on 7 November 2019, where he was tied up and beaten. According to the account, he was forced to drink human urine and was tortured by having the skin of his thigh pulled with pliers, which later caused a severe infection. After the assault, the four men left him at the location. Later that day, friends and relatives of Singh, searching for him, found him in a critical condition and took him to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) in Chandigarh for treatment. He was treated for nine days but died from the infection caused by the injuries to his thighs.

Singh is described as living with a family of six, including his mother, wife Manjit Kaur, two daughters, and a son, in Changiwala village.

Following his death, Singh's family stated that the four accused men were moving freely and that police had not adequately investigated the case. The family demanded a thorough inquiry. After the case drew media attention, police registered a complaint against the four accused under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (murder) and under the SC/ST Act. The family called for capital punishment for the accused.

The government provided the family with a compensation amount of ₹5,000,000 (equivalent to approximately ₹6.2 million, or about US$65,000, in 2023 terms) and a government job for one family member. The case prompted protests by Singh's family members and various Dalit organizations, and the Director General of Police (DGP) of Punjab assured the family that the case would be investigated as a priority.

The case drew attention as an example of caste-based violence in Punjab, with Dalit groups demanding severe punishment for those responsible for Singh's death.