‘This happens to those who defame Sikh religion’: Akal Takht head granthi justifies murder of Punjab influencer Kamal Kaur 'Bhabhi', says ‘nothing wrong happened’

NEW DELHI: The head granthi of Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Malkit Singh, on Tuesday appeared to justify the murder of social media influencer Kanchan Tiwari, also known as Kamal Kaur 'Bhabhi', saying "such a thing should happen with people who defame the Sikh religion.

"The remarks came amid ongoing outrage over the killing of Kamal Kaur, whose body was found in a car parked outside Adesh Medical University in Bathinda on the night of June 11. The murder, police say, was planned and executed by one Amritpal Singh Mehron, a self-proclaimed radical leader of the group 'Qaum De Rakhe', who fled to the United Arab Emirates hours after the crime.

Kamal Kaur was allegedly strangled in the early hours of June 10 by Mehron and his two associates — Jaspreet Singh and Nimratjit Singh — after they lured her to Bathinda under the pretext of vehicle promotion and car repairs.The police revealed that Mehron forcibly took her mobile phones, obtained her passwords through physical coercion, and later instructed his accomplices to leave her body in a parked car before fleeing the country.Giani Malkit Singh’s comment was made in Amritsar during a media interaction. He said, “Such a thing should happen with people who defame the Sikh religion. Nothing wrong has happened.” Meanwhile, the Punjab Police have launched a manhunt and are working on initiating extradition proceedings against Mehron.

Jaspreet and Nimratjit have been arrested, and their statements have confirmed Mehron’s role in the murder. Police have also identified two more men believed to have had knowledge of the crime.Senior Superintendent of Police Amneet Kondal confirmed that Mehron boarded a flight from Amritsar airport at 9.15am on June 10, hours after the murder. Police are investigating additional charges against him, including previous cases of threats and vandalism, with his criminal record including a 2021 incident involving a music producer and a 2020 act of damaging statues near the Golden Temple.While the forensic reports, including the viscera analysis, are awaited to determine whether there was any sexual exploitation involved, the SSP said no formal complaint had yet been received on that front.(With agency inputs)