Punjab: Mourners demand strict action at prayer meet after 5-year-old boy's murder in Hoshiarpur

Hoshiarpur, Sep 20 (PTI) The 'antim ardas' (final prayer) for the five-year-old boy, who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a migrant worker, was held at the local Gurdwara Singh Sabha here on Saturday.

The boy was abducted while playing outside his house on September 9, and his body was recovered the next day from a cremation ground in Pur Hiran village in Hoshiarpur district.

Manke Yadav, a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh, residing in the Sabzi Mandi area, was arrested in connection with the crime. According to the police, Yadav, an alleged alcoholic, sodomised and strangled the boy. The postmortem report revealed multiple injuries on the body.

The ceremony was attended by the deceased’s family, farmer leaders and representatives of several social and religious organisations.

After the 'kirtan', tributes were paid to the child, followed by a prayer.

Among those who addressed the gathering were social activist Lakha Singh Sidhana, Dal Khalsa leader Paramjit Singh Mand, Baba Raja Raj Singh of Arban Kharban Tarna Dal and Manjit Singh Kartarpur of Awaaz-e-Kaum.

They demanded strict punishment for the accused.

After the prayer meet, hundreds of participants marched from the Gurdwara to the district administrative complex in protest, where they submitted separate memorandums addressed to the chief minister and the Punjab governor.

The memorandums sought restrictions on migrants in matters relating to land ownership, employment, identity documents and mandatory police verification in the state.

The murder has triggered a tirade against migrant workers coming to Punjab to earn their livelihood.

Over 20 village panchayats in Hoshiarpur have already stated that they have decided to stop attesting the documents of migrant labourers in their respective areas.

Several sarpanches have resolved not to allow migrant labourers without valid documents to reside in their villages. PTI COR CHS ANM AMJ AMJ