Punjab man out on bail in 2020 sacrilege case hacked to death

3 min readLudhianaJul 14, 2026 04:37 PM IST

After securing bail in the sacrilege case, Mewa Singh (left) stopped working as a tailor. A police team outside his house in Tooran village (right).

A 45-year-old man out on bail in a 2020 sacrilege case was allegedly hacked to death by two masked men early Tuesday morning in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib district. The police said they are investigating all possible motives, including links to the sacrilege case, a financial dispute, or personal rivalry.

The incident occurred in Tooran village in Amloh constituency. The victim, Mewa Singh, sustained multiple injuries after he was repeatedly attacked with sharp weapons.

“There are multiple injuries on his body due to the attack. The police are investigating the case to know the motive,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (Amloh) Bikramjit Singh Chauhan said.

The police have lodged a First Information Report against two unknown persons under murder charges.

The sacrilege case dates back to October 2020, when Mewa, a tailor, was arrested after allegedly entering the village gurdwara, picking up traditional Sikh weapons and waving them around in an act that allegedly amounted to sacrilege. He was in jail for about a year before being granted bail.

Panicked family called neighbours for help

Mewa, who belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, was allegedly attacked at around 1.30 am when he woke up to use the bathroom in the verandah. The assailants were reportedly inside the premises.

At the time, his wife, son, and daughter were sleeping inside the house. Family members said they woke up after hearing Mewa’s cries for help but were unable to come to his rescue. His family alleged that when they attempted to step outside, the attackers tried to assault them. Fearing for their lives, they allegedly bolted the room from inside.

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“We called the neighbours for help. As villagers started gathering at our gate, the attackers ran away. Perhaps they jumped the wall…no one saw them going by the gate,” Mewa’s daughter said.

Mewa was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Out on bail, he withdrew from public life

Residents of the village said that after securing bail in the sacrilege case, Mewa had largely withdrawn from public life. He had stopped working as a tailor, and hardly interacted with anyone, they added.

Sources said that after his release, he failed to appear for multiple court hearings and remained untraceable for some time. They further claimed that he later developed a serious back ailment. Sources also alleged that Mewa Singh had a mental health condition at the time of the alleged sacrilege incident.

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Mewa was subsequently re-arrested in the case and was granted bail again in October last year. He had reportedly started working in a factory.

The murder comes months after the Punjab Assembly passed the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act, 2026, in April, providing for stricter punishment in sacrilege cases. The legislation has also received the governor’s assent.