A 20-year-old man in Punjab was found dead with his left leg chopped off.
Highlights
- The body was found in the house of one of the six accused
- Family says cops turning blind eye as accused linked to ruling Akali Dal
- Opposition accuses Akalis of creating fear ahead of assembly polls
A 20-year-old man involved in liquor trade was brutally murdered and mutilated, allegedly by the liquor mafia, in Punjab's Mansa district.
While the police have arrested three of the six accused after 48 hours, the opposition has accused the ruling Akali Dal of creating fear among the people ahead of next years' assembly polls.
Witnesses say Sukhchain was beaten with iron rods and attacked with sharp weapons on Monday. "They broke his legs, slashed his stomach with and chopped off his leg," Gurjant Singh, a local leader, told NDTV.
His body was found in the house of one of the six men accused in the murder.
The family had initially refused postmortem and cremation, demanding that the police restore the missing leg. In the evening, the police said the severed limb was found in nearby fields.
The family says Sukhchain was attacked because they suspected him of leaking information to rival liquor vendors. The police say it was the result of gang rivalry.
Blaming the police for going soft on the accused, Sukhchain's brother Sukhbir said: "The accused enjoy government patronage. They are relatives of our village sarpanch, who is an Akali leader. So the police are not acting against them."
Denying the allegations, Deputy Superintendent of Police Jasmeet Singh said, "Both accused and the victim have cases registered against them under the Excise Act".
A similar incident was reported in the state in December, when a Dalit man, Bheem Tank, was attacked in Abohar and his limbs were chopped off. The police later filed case against a local Akali leader in the case.
Sunil Jakhar, a senior leader of the opposition Congress said, "In a planned manner, goons are released on parole to terrorise the poor and downtrodden to create fear among them so as to get their votes".
Bhagwant Mann, Aam Admi Party parliamentarian from Sangrur, said the Badal government has failed to maintain law and order in the state. "Its mafia rules in Punjab."
Daljit Singh Cheema, spokesperson of the Akali Dal, said no one will be spared whatever their background. "The law will take its course."