According to the police, Vinod Bamnia (22) living in the Rawatsar area had put up a poster of Ambedkar outside his house. This poster was torn by people named Anil Sihag and Rakesh Sihag on 24 May.
Police said that when Bhim Army member Vinod Bamnia and his family objected to this, local people intervened and the family members of the accused apologized on their behalf.
However, it is being told that the accused decided to take revenge for this and on June 5, they along with others beat up Vinod badly.
According to the English newspaper The Indian Express, Bamnia’s cousin Mukesh, who is a complainant in the murder case and an eyewitness to the attack, said the June 5 attack poster was an “act of revenge” linked to the incident.
“Recently, some people, including Anil Sihag and Rakesh Sihag, who lived in our village, had torn the banners of Babasaheb Ambedkar, which were put up outside our house on April 14, on Ambedkar Jayanti, he said. After identifying them, we complained to their families. The matter was resolved through the mediation of the panchayat and his family apologized on his behalf.
Mukesh further said, “But the real culprits wanted to take revenge. On June 5, Vinod and I were on our way to our fields in the village when Rakesh, Anil and some others attacked us, who were waiting for us with sticks. I managed to escape with minor injuries, but they beat Vinod with a hockey stick about 20-30 times.
Vinod, who was badly injured in the incident, was admitted to a private hospital in Sriganganagar, where he died on June 7. The police have arrested the accused Anil Sihag and Rakesh Sihag as well as their accomplices Saksham and Haider Ali in this case. Search is on for the rest of the people involved in the attack.
