Ongoing case · 2019
Also known as Jagmael Singh lynching · Jagmael Singh's lynching
Ongoing case: this file carries charge-sheet facts only. Anyone charged is presumed innocent unless convicted.
File:Jagmael Singh lynching.jpgCredit: Kulwant Singh.CC BY-SA 2.5SourceThe short answer
In November 2019, Jagmael Singh, a 37-year-old Dalit construction worker in Sangrur district, Punjab, was abducted and tortured by four men following a dispute at a village panchayat gathering of upper-caste Sikhs. He died nine days later from his injuries, prompting protests and demands for justice from Dalit organizations.
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Suggest coverage for Lynching of Jagmael SinghOn 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.
Jagmael Singh attends a village panchayat gathering of upper-caste Sikhs in Sangrur chotal and has a dispute with Rinku.
Singh is abducted, taken to the house of Rinku, one of the accused, tied up, beaten, forced to drink urine, and tortured with pliers by four men; he is later found by relatives and taken to PGI Chandigarh for treatment.
Jagmael Singh dies after nine days of treatment at PGI Chandigarh due to infection from his injuries.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
37-year-old Dalit construction worker abducted, tortured, and killed in Sangrur district, Punjab.[3]
Charged with murder under IPC section 302 and the SC/ST Act, after a complaint was registered against him and three others over the lynching of Jagmael Singh; police filed a chargesheet in November 2019; trial outcome not found in available reporting.[3]
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