Kapurthala Lynching Case: Gurdwara Caretaker Amarjit Singh Arrested for Murder

This comes shortly after Punjab CM Channi said that no evidence of sacrilege had been found in the incident.

Days after an incident in Punjab's Kapurthala where a man was beaten to death on suspicion of alleged sacrilege, Amarjit Singh, the gurdwara caretaker has been arrested for murder.

(Photo: The Quint)

Days after an incident in Punjab's Kapurthala where a man was beaten to death on suspicion of alleged sacrilege, Amarjit Singh, the gurdwara caretaker has been arrested for murder, among other offences.

This comes shortly after Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said that no evidence of sacrilege had been found in the incident, adding that the youth was lynched and the probe was pointing towards it being a murder.

He further said that the First Information Report (FIR) would be amended accordingly.

"I'm sorry that an innocent and unarmed person died in a brutal attack. We've arrested Amarjit Singh in the matter. One pistol has been recovered. We've added sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC to the case," the inspector general of police of Jalandhar range was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

According to a report by The Times of India, the FIR mentions 100 unidentified accused who the police will identify using photos and videos of the incident.

What Has Happened So Far?

Singh, the gurdwara caretaker, had said that he saw the man disrespecting the Nishan Sahib when he came out for his daily prayers at 4 am. However, Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh, SSP Kapurthala, had earlier said that the man may have been attempting to commit a theft when he was caught.

A post-mortem report has since revealed that about 30 injuries, mostly inflicted by swords, were found on his body, news agency PTI reported on Thursday.

Senior Medical Officer Narinder Singh indicated that a five-member board of doctors from the local civil hospital had conducted the autopsy, during which it was determined that the deceased was wounded with swords, resulting in sharp cuts over his body.

The deceased remains unidentified, days after he was killed.

City Deputy Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh said that the police had tried its best to establish his identity, but that no one has come forward to claim the body so far, as per a PTI report.

(With inputs from PTI and The Times of India.)