Chandigarh: While Bathinda police have issued a lookout notice for Amritpal Singh Mehron, the main accused in the brutal murder of Punjab-based social media influencer Kanchan Kumari, alias Kamal Kaur Bhabi, online posters eulogising him as a ‘Kaum Da Heera’ (jewel of the community) and ‘Izzatan De Rakhe’ (protector of honour) have appeared across Ludhiana and surrounding areas.
In blatant disregard of outright legal prohibitions against publicly eulogizing persons charged with atrocities, the government says nothing, allegedly busy in the ongoing Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll campaign. No action has been taken against the persons carrying flex-boards hailing Mehron as a community ‘hero’ by law enforcement officials.
Neither of the posters has the required information of the printing press or individuals or groups responsible for putting them up—another breach of the Printing Press and Publications Act. The authorities stated that such a non-disclosure alone renders the posters illegal, but enforcement is still lacking.
Hailing from Mehron village in Moga district, Amritpal Singh Mehron was at one point a motorcycle mechanic. In the course of time, he became a firebrand voice and had his own group named “Qaum De Rakhe.” Following his escape to Dubai to avoid arrest, his followers and extremist Sikh groups have escalated a campaign portraying him as a martyr and guardian of Sikh tradition.
Additional controversy was stirred when Akal Takht head granthi Malkit Singh had issued a statement seeming to come to the defense of Mehron, which has encouraged followers and lent credence to their public campaign of sympathy. The statement has raised concern among moderates, although there has not been an official reaction from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) or the Punjab government.
Kanchan Kumari, whose online identity as Kamal Kaur Bhabi had thousands following her, went missing since June 9. Her decomposed body was found two days later in a parked vehicle within Adesh University’s vicinity in Bathinda. Police traced the case to Mehron in a matter of hours, with clues suggesting premeditation. By the time they acted on their suspicions, he had already fled overseas.
Sources within the Bathinda police confirmed that a lookout notice has been circulated at airports and through central agencies. “We’re coordinating with multiple departments to ensure he doesn’t return undetected or that he’s extradited,” a senior police official said.
As radical symbolism and endorsing an alleged murderer unfold in public, the Ludhiana government is now facing pressure to react. Activists point out that inaction will normalize public eulogizing of criminals in the name of religious or cultural pride.
ACP Harjinder Singh Gill said all the SHOs and beat officers in the area have been asked to remove such posters and strictly enforce public display and printing regulations. “Action will be taken against anyone who breaches these guidelines,” he said.
But until now, no FIR has been filed, no one has been identified for the illegal showing. As the by-election approaches, critics say the silence from the administration is both politically expedient and socially hazardous.
