Lakhimpur Kheri violence hits local Sikh community

October 06, 2021 17:09

The spot near Tikonia village where violence erupted on Sunday during a farmers' protest is amid an area linked to the life of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.

Granthi Baljeet Singh from Kaudiyawala Ghat Gurdwara says the Guru came here in 1554 and cured a person of kodh, or leprosy.

The shrine gets its name from there. The devout believe that a dip in the sarovar' of the gurdwara, located close to the spot where eight people were killed, can cure people of skin diseases.

Lakhimpur Kheri district and the adjoining areas in the Terai have been home to Sikh farmers for generations --- including those who came during the time of the Awadh nawabs, migrants from undivided Punjab and the more recent settlers.

On Sunday, Sikh farmers formed a sizeable number of those protesting over the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

And all the four dead farmers had Punjabi names.

They were allegedly mowed down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. The other four victims included two BJP workers, allegedly lynched by angry protesters.

Many farmers from Lakhimpur Kheri and the neighbouring areas in the Terai have been actively involved in the protests against the agri-marketing laws enacted at the Centre last year.

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