FATEHGARH SAHIB: Mewa Singh, a man accused in a 2020 sacrilege case, was hacked to death by unidentified assailants at his residence in Toora village near Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib district, police said, while refuting rumours that he had been beheaded.The murder took place between 1.30 am and 2.00 am on Tuesday. Police said Mewa Singh was attacked when he stepped out of his room to use the washroom. The assailants, armed with sharp-edged weapons such as swords, assaulted him, leaving the scene soaked in blood.Mandi Gobindgarh DSP Bikramjit Singh Ghumman addressed the rumours and described the injuries. “There are deep cuts on the body, including the arms and the facial area, but the head has not been severed,” the DSP said.Police said initial investigations, based on statements from the victim’s wife and daughter, suggested the involvement of two attackers. Mewa Singh’s family, including his son and other relatives, were inside the house but did not step into the courtyard out of fear after hearing the commotion and dogs barking, police added.After receiving an alert from the village sarpanch, senior police officials and a forensic team reached the spot. Investigators reviewed footage from nearby CCTV cameras to trace the suspects’ escape route and determine whether they had used a motorcycle. Police said the post-mortem examination was scheduled to be completed by Tuesday evening.Police said Mewa Singh, a former village tailor who had recently been working at a local mill, had been living quietly in the village before the attack. They said he was arrested in October 2020 after allegations of desecrating the Sri Guru Granth Sahib at the Toora village gurdwara. During the 2020 incident, police said, Mewa Singh entered the gurdwara, picked up traditional weapons (shastars) revered by devotees, and waved them around, causing severe disrespect.Locals had earlier claimed that Mewa Singh suffered from mental instability, but he was taken into custody and a case, FIR No. 207, was registered at Mandi Gobindgarh Police Station. Police said that after spending some time in jail and remaining untraceable for a period, he was granted bail by the district court in October or November 2025 and had remained out on bail since then.Police said they were investigating the homicide from multiple angles because the original sacrilege incident took place nearly six years ago. Officials were examining whether the killing was a delayed act of vigilante revenge linked to the 2020 sacrilege case or stemmed from an ongoing personal feud or village rivalry.The assailants remained at large, and police questioned local residents for further leads. Senior Superintendent of Police Fatehgarh Sahib Shubham Aggarwal said a detailed update would be provided once the preliminary forensic review was completed.
