Nihang stabs death with kirpan; held in Ludhiana

A Nihang was arrested on Sunday for allegedly stabbing a family member to death and injuring four others with his kirpan in Suraj Nagar, Tedi Road, Shimlapuri, officials said.

They added that Nirmal Singh, 50, was killed in the attack which stemmed from an old rivalry.

According to police, the suspect, Jatinder Singh from Sangowal, escaped after the incident but was later apprehended. The victim was a carpenter, police said.

According to police, the condition of one of the victims, Manjit Singh, is serious and the three others, Vijay, Vishwajit and Balraj Singh, are stable.

Police said Nirmal Singh and the other victims tried to intervene after the suspect attacked his brother, Manjit Singh, with the kirpan.

Shimlapuri station-house officer (SHO) Inspector Balwinder Singh said the suspect and the victim are relatives and lived in the same area. They accused each other of “molesting and urinating on the main gate”, the SHO added.

He said that in 2023, the accused and the victim had an argument over some issue, following which Nirmal Singh and Manjit Singh filed a complaint and a first information report (FIR) was registered against Jatinder Singh.

Later, Jatinder and his family sold the house and moved to Sangowal village. About six months ago, Jatinder became a Nihang, police said, adding that the accused visited Suraj Nagar to see other family members in the area.

The SHO added that Jatinder turned up in Suraj Nagar on Sunday and attacked Manjit. The other victims tried to intervene after which the suspect also assaulted them, he added.

He said Manjit and Nirmal sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared the latter dead on arrival.

According to the inspector, a case of murder has been registered against the suspect. Police are interrogating the suspect to find out what prompted him to attack the victims, he added.