Ethical policing in Punjab

On the crematorium, her three grieving members of the family stood alone; not one good friend from the digital world, not one from her social circle. No influencer solidarity. No public mourning from the group that when made her movies viral. For somebody who had lakhs of followers, it was a really lonely last journey.

Kanchan’s story holds a mirror to a society caught between rising radicalism and a warped sense of public morality and justice. The tragedy is made worse by many making an attempt to justify the killing within the title of ‘tradition’ and ‘values’.

Disturbingly, a wave of help rose for the absconding Mehron from a number of quarters—non secular, political and digital—all providing twisted justification by calling Kanchan’s content material “vulgar and immoral”. Main the cost was Malkiat Singh, the top granthi of the Golden Temple. In a public assertion, he defended Mehron’s actions, claiming the sufferer had “adopted a Sikh title to tarnish the group’s picture”.

“Such remedy is deserved. Nothing incorrect has occurred,” he mentioned. His sentiments have been echoed by the appearing jathedar of the Akal Takht and the overall secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, MP from Faridkot, even promised to lift the difficulty in Parliament to handle the “cultural insult” by Kanchan.

Flex boards that includes Mehron appeared throughout Ludhiana, portraying him as ‘Qaum da heera’ (Jewel of the Neighborhood) and ‘Izattan de rakhe’ (Protector of Honour), reworking a homicide accused into a neighborhood hero.

On social media, the narrative grew darker. Fringe teams and radical outfits launched congratulatory hashtags and celebratory posters. Some influencers from Punjab and Haryana jumped into the fray, releasing movies supporting the homicide and warning different “immoral components” to be careful.