A factory worker was hacked to death by three men, including two Nihang Sikhs, over chewing tobacco on a street in Golden Temple's vicinity in Punjab's Amritsar on Wednesday night. The police informed one of the accused, Ramandeep Singh, has been arrested, while searches are on for the two Nihang Sikhs.
A CCTV camera outside a hotel has captured the murder and the footage has taken over the internet.
The two-minute footage shows a brief verbal spat before one of the Nihangs pulls out his sword. The victim pushed him and tries to escape, however, the two Nihangs grab him. A third man is also seen joining the assault and landing dagger blows on the victim. The victim is seen bleeding and staggering, while the attackers walk away. The body remained on the street overnight until police learned about the incident in the morning.
The Nihang Sikhs (part of an ultra-conservative order within the Sikh community) got into a heated argument with victim Harmanjeet Singh, a Chatiwind area resident, who is reported to be in his 20s.
While speaking to the media, Police Commissioner Arun Pal Singh said, "They had taken offence to his chewing tobacco and being drunk while roaming in that area. It is shameful that while there were six to seven people on the spot, none of them called us."
The police chief also answered why a patrol team could not spot the body in such a high-security area, by saying, "We have around 4,300 personnel on duty, for a city of over 12 lakh people. We try our best to cover every area. But citizens also have a duty. Everyone has a mobile phone. They just need to call 112 or inform the nearest police station."
The street is less than a kilometre from the temporal Sikh shrine, Golden Temple. The body was found nearby.
