In a video message posted by Mehron after Kanchan Kumari’s killing, he appeared to justify the act, saying she had been “warned” a number of occasions however she continued to put up “immoral and vulgar content material” on social media. He added that her content material defamed Sikh values and mocked her use of the surname “Kaur”.
He additionally warned others creating “objectionable content material” to chorus from such actions.
“So what if she was killed? It’s factor that she was. Truly, it occurred late. She ought to’ve been killed off 5 to seven years in the past,” Mehron mentioned in a video assertion the place he’s dressed within the conventional apparel of the Nihang sect.
“I don’t care if I’m proper or incorrect. I’ve to save lots of a technology of Punjabis,” Mehron says within the video. “If I see one other such video made on Punjab’s land… then see.”
Nonetheless, he didn’t take accountability for the killing. In an interview with a YouTube channel, whereas on the run this week, Mehron mentioned he had not taken accountability for the homicide and the killing remained a matter of investigation. He, nevertheless, reiterated that he would proceed to “clear up” Punjab. “I’ll do that clean-up earlier than I’m arrested. If I’ve to remain in jail for five-six years, I’ll make it price it,” he mentioned.
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Who’s Amritpal Singh Mehron
The query that many are actually asking is: Who’s Amritpal Singh Mehron?
His father, Baljinder Singh, a Muslim who transformed to Sikhism, advised mediapersons they had been a poor household residing in Mehron village. He mentioned he had labored as a every day wager for years earlier than changing into a building contractor. Mehron is the youngest of 5 kids. His three elder sisters are married.
“I journey nearly 20 km every single day for work. We have now labored onerous to earn a residing. We don’t contact a penny of the cash that Amritpal has,” mentioned Mehron’s father.
Though Mehron refers to himself as “illiterate” in his social media movies, he accomplished his class XII training from DM School, Moga, and has a diploma in diesel mechanics from ITI, Moga.
He thought-about slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale as his idol and a few years in the past, he donned the apparel and life-style of a Nihang Sikh, carrying conventional weapons.
Though he projected himself as Samaritan out to scrub up Punjab society, some say he’s only a self-styled vigilante seeking to seize consideration and social media eyeballs.
Over the previous 4 years, he common himself as a spiritual radical and constructed a large social media following alongside the way in which with violent threats to supposedly shield social and Sikh values. His targets included influencers, suspected quacks and a dera head, whom he accused of ethical, spiritual or sexual transgressions. He usually recorded his encounters with them and shared them on his now-closed social media accounts.
Mehron operated two Instagram accounts with 351,000 and 398,000 followers, respectively, and frequently posted movies condemning what he calls “obscene” content material. Police shut down his social media accounts final week.
He had such a big following that in April this yr, singer Sharan Sidhu even launched a musical video titled ‘Mehron’ that includes Mehron’s life and success. Mehron is seen within the video driving a jeep, wielding automated weapons.
Mehron was usually shifting round in SUVs and had his personal safety guards.
His success led him to even strive his hand at politics about three years in the past. In March 2022, he contested the Punjab meeting polls from Tarn Taran seat as a candidate of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) headed by Simranjit Singh Mann. Nonetheless, he misplaced the election after securing just a bit over 6,000 votes.
Nonetheless, his vigilante actions continued, with assist via crowdfunding.
A divided neighborhood
The Sikh neighborhood seems to be divided on Mehron.
Some radical Sikh our bodies have come out in help of him. Unbiased MP from Faridkot, Sarabjeet Singh, visited Mehron’s home to point out solidarity along with his household.
The household of jailed radical Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh met Mehron’s father final week to increase assist. The pinnacle granthi of the Golden Temple, Malkiat Singh, additionally supported Mehron’s actions.
Nonetheless, many different radical Sikhs, together with outstanding Nihangs, denounced Mehron’s motion. Nihang chief Harjeet Singh Rasulpur criticised Mehron for blackmailing individuals and his alleged position within the homicide of Kanchan Kumari.
“If anybody is feeling threatened by Mehron, they’re free to strategy me and I’ll stand by them. It’s a disgrace that Mehron is donning the gown of a Nihang and utilizing it to difficulty threats and kill. Why are Mehron and his males even watching this type of content material? If someone needs to point out their very own character via their social media posts, what’s Mehron’s enterprise in it?” he mentioned.
One other Sikh chief, Giani Buta Singh, alleged that Mehron and his males pressured Kanchan Kumari to share her cellphone’s passwords and took away her cellphone earlier than killing her. He alleged that her cellphone held “secrets and techniques” which might have harmed Mehron.
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Mehron’s rap sheet
Mehron’s transformation into a spiritual vigilante wasn’t sudden.
He first shot into the limelight in January 2020 for vandalising the statues depicting people dances of Punjab on the Heritage Road resulting in the Golden Temple. The statues had been constructed by the Punjab tourism division to showcase the state’s tradition amongst vacationers visiting the Golden Temple. Mehron’s group, nevertheless, claimed {that a} present of dance and leisure on the way in which to the temple dishonoured the Sikh faith.
He, together with 9 different associates, was arrested.
The then chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, requested the state police to evaluation the stringent sections imposed in opposition to the 9 accused after Sikh teams got here out in help of Mehron and his associates. Mehron and the others had been discharged within the case in 2023.
In September 2021, Mehron was booked on the grievance of a male influencer who goes by the Instagram deal with @producerdxx, whom Mehron had allegedly crushed up at his dwelling in Dhanaula in Barnala. Mehron claimed that the influencer was spreading “vulgarity and immorality” via his movies.
The influencer was saved by villagers who rushed to help him in opposition to Mehron. Producer Dxx alleged that he was first threatened by Mehron in 2019 and he paid him Rs 70,000.
“Now he was demanding Rs 2 lakh and I refused to pay him,” mentioned Producer Dxx after Mehron got here to beat him up. He added that Mehron snatched his cellphone and likewise Rs 17,000 from his home.
Mehron, who was arrested and later let off on bail, denied prices of blackmail however admitted he had crushed up the producer.
The subsequent yr, he claimed to have issued a warning to comic Bharti Singh, who, based on him, had insulted the Sikh faith by making enjoyable of the moustache and beard saved by Sikh males.
Bharti issued a video message apologising for what she had mentioned, including that she had no intention of injuring spiritual sentiments. Mehron put out her apology on his social media handles, projecting it as his achievement.
Gurinder Singh Dhillon, a former Punjab Extra Director Basic of Police (ADGP), mentioned vigilantism should be curbed.
“It’s not so simple as Mehron getting offended about Kanchan Kumari’s movies. It’s half of a bigger setup. After I was ADGP regulation and order, I had arrested such individuals indulging in felony actions within the identify of non secular vigilantism,” mentioned Dhillon.
“There isn’t a doubt that some influencers are spreading nudity and vulgarity. Such individuals have to be condemned. They have to be known as out and acted in opposition to based on the regulation below the IT Act. However on the identical time, individuals like Mehron had been utilizing social media at hand out demise threats and brazenly name for violence. Such threats, resulting in taking the regulation into their very own arms, additionally have to be curbed. What Mehron did is extra condemnable,” he added.
Nonetheless, not all circumstances involving Mehron concerned allegations of ethical policing.
After organising Kaum de Rakhe in 2020, Mehron and his group shared a cellular quantity on social media and supplied to assist individuals 24/7.
To start with, his group claimed it was serving to mediate household disputes on the request of native villagers. They claimed they stopped two brothers from dividing their home, and rescued a 13-year-old woman from her paternal uncle and aunt, who allegedly tortured her.
They travelled to Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, the place they mentioned they rescued an outdated man pressured to work as a bonded labourer. Additionally they claimed to have helped a household rebuild their home following a fireplace.
In one other case, Mehron claimed to have rescued an outdated lady from her sons, who allegedly beat her up. He additionally complained to the police to take motion in opposition to a younger man seen in a viral video allegedly touching a woman baby inappropriately within the village of Bhinder Kalan in Moga.
However quickly the group additionally turned to non secular vigilantism.
In August 2021, Mehron and his associates broke wall tiles with footage of Hindu gods and Sikh gurus in a business constructing in Sector 22, Chandigarh. The tiles had been put to discourage passersby from urinating in opposition to the wall.
In a separate incident, Mehron and his group “raided” a gurdwara in a city in Rajasthan, eradicating Sikh spiritual texts they claimed had been being desecrated.
All these actions had been recorded and shared on Mehron’s social media handles. As his following elevated, he began searching for donations, claiming the funds can be used to construct homes for the poor and help caregivers of youngsters with particular wants.
In a single video, he documented a go to to poor Sikh households in Madhya Pradesh, saying he was assessing their residing situations.
Mehron additionally shared movies of his group indulging in violence, claiming to ship immediate punishment. As an example, he and his group claimed to have “taught a lesson” to a younger man whom they alleged was blackmailing a woman into having a relationship with him. They launched a video of them beating up the person.
His group additionally claimed to have caught an individual they mentioned generated faux on-line IDs and indulged in inappropriate actions with girls.
In a single put up, he claimed that his males had crushed up a Ludhiana-based Shiv Sena chief for talking in opposition to Bhindranwale. In one other video, he claimed to have crushed up a resident of Uttarakhand who was faking Mehron’s id on social media.
Aside from the primary case of vandalism of statues in Amritsar, Mehron’s violent actions and open threats had been ignored by Punjab police.
An emboldened Mehron then graduated from conventional weapons to flaunting automated weapons. Nonetheless, it isn’t identified in the event that they had been licensed. In a single video, he claimed he was dealing with circumstances below the Arms Act for flaunting weapons brazenly.
In lots of circumstances, although Mehron issued threats of violence, he took no bodily motion and his actions appeared aimed toward drawing consideration.
On one event, he claimed to have travelled to Balram Nagar in Uttarakhand to confront the organisers of a younger lady’s dance efficiency within the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib on the event of Janmashtami. He claimed he wished to“educate the organisers a lesson”, however on his return, he mentioned he allow them to off after they apologised.
In one other occasion, in February 2022, Mehron and his males went to Delhi claiming to help the household of a 20-year-old sufferer who was allegedly kidnapped, gangraped and later paraded on the streets. After assembly the household, they wrote on the wall of the sufferer’s home in Punjabi: “The Sikh neighborhood is alive. It should take revenge on this case”.
Mehron was booked for issuing a menace, however on social media, he projected his go to to the Delhi police station as an achievement. He by no means went on to do something to the criminals as promised to the sufferer’s household.
Final yr, Mehron accused Baba Baljinder Singh, head of the Thaah Charan Ghat gurdwara, of allegedly sexually exploiting girls followers. He launched a video displaying his interrogation of the alleged sufferer and the baba about his alleged sexual abuse.
Baljinder Singh was subsequently booked for rape and arrested. Nonetheless, the sufferer turned in opposition to Mehron and alleged he had pressured her to falsely implicate Singh.
Regardless of having criticised the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for years, Mehron rushed to hunt its safety, addressing his supporters collectively with SGPC officers, calling for police motion in opposition to the sufferer as effectively.
Earlier this yr, he turned his consideration to “vaids”, or self-styled medical practitioners, who bought medicines they claimed handled sexual dysfunctions. He shared footage of their commercials on social media. A few of these vaids later met Mehron and issued apologies, which he videographed and placed on his social media accounts.
Mehron additionally claimed he had made Amritsar-based influencer Deepika Luthra apologise for creating what he known as vulgar content material. Luthra advised police final week that Mehron threatened her repeatedly. She was offered safety and a recent case was registered in opposition to Mehron.
Luthra advised police that she was known as by Mehron and his males for a promotional video, and was then waylaid on a village highway. She alleged that she was pressured to apologise, after which she stopped posting such content material. Mehron posted the video of the assembly and the apology on his social media, portraying it as a private achievement.
Final month, Mehron specifically went to satisfy to increase help to Himanshi Narwal, the widow of a naval officer killed by terrorists in Pahalgam.
‘Custodians of morality’
Historians and political scientists say vigilantes like Mehron are usually not a brand new phenomenon.
Dr Harjeshwar Pal Singh of the Division of Historical past, SGGS School Sector 26, Chandigarh, says such socio-religious vigilantes have been a part of society for a very long time.
“Indian and Punjabi society is deeply conservative, spiritual and has historically been stronger than the state. Vigilantes like Nihangs, Shiv Sainiks, khap panchayats, society uncles, and so on, have usually acted as custodians of morality and society and acted in opposition to girls, medication, minorities and vulgarity,” he advised ThePrint.
“Respect for the regulation, democratic norms and tolerance for various life has been gradual amongst these teams. Many such vigilantes have been patronised by political teams. The rise of social media, spiritual polarisation, financial inequality and altering societal norms has solely deepened social anxiousness and concern about problems with vulgarity and led to the rise of vigilantes like Mehron, whose pages are adopted by lakhs. Platforms like Fb, YouTube, and WhatsApp assist vigilante teams mobilise help, identify and disgrace targets, and create parallel ethical courts,” he added.
Viral movies of ethical policing or “spiritual safety” achieve approval and embolden others, he mentioned.
Dr Kanwalpreet Kaur of the division of political science, DAV School Sector 10, Chandigarh, says nudity and vulgarity has existed in Punjab via songs and dances performed at weddings for many years. “Households, together with girls and youngsters attending these weddings, having fun with this music, and youth dancing to such numbers, should not have a shock worth. Influencers are mouthing these songs, including their very own lewd acts to them. And what in regards to the lakhs who comply with them? The influencers are serving what’s being purchased.
“Nonetheless, the emergence of the so-called vigilantes is new. They’re working both for an unseen behind-the-curtain agent or for the glory and cash earned via social media. These vigilantes shouldn’t be allowed to grow to be keepers of the collective conscience of a wholesome, inclusive, progressive society.”
Including, “The standard of content material accessible on social media must be regulated, proscribing grownup content material. However individuals like Mehron must also be taken to job by the regulation.”
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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