A 45-year-old Sikh man identified as Jaspal Singh from Bhattiwal Khurd was assaulted in his barbershop by three men dressed as Nihangs in the Bhattiwal Kalan village, officials said.
The individuals attacked Jaspal for practising the profession of a barber despite being an Amritdhari Sikh. Following the assault, the villagers came to Jaspal’s aide and a clash ensued between the two groups. Following the incident, a formal compromise, mediated by the village panchayat and local police, was reached, officials said.
Local villagers who came to the aid of Jaspal said that the group misbehaved with the granthi of the village gurdwara when he tried to stop them.
Sheri Baba, one of the villagers, said that the attackers were mischievous elements rather than true representatives of the Sikh faith
“Even if there were religious concerns regarding Jaspal’s profession, the matter could have been handled through dialogue,” said another villager who didn’t wish to be named.
Bhawanigarh deputy superintendent of police, Rahul Kaushal, confirmed that the incident occurred on February 14.
“Police received a complaint from the victim against three Nihangs from the Dirba side. Following that, the village panchayat and the Nihangs reached a mutual agreement that the victim will be aided financially if he shuts the salon,” the DSP said.
