Moral policing in Punjab

The murder of social media influencer Kanchan Kumari—known to her 4.5 lakh followers as Kamal Kaur ‘Bhabhi’—has turned the spotlight on moral policing in Punjab.

Kanchan Kumari was an unapologetic presence on the internet, known for her bold videos, outspoken commentary and adult content. Her posts did raise eyebrows in some quarters but never crossed a legal line—there were no formal complaints, no FIRs and certainly no court gags. Yet, she was brutally murdered on the night of 9–10 June.

Punjab Police said Amritpal Singh Mehron, a self-styled radical preacher who found Kanchan’s content ‘immoral’, was the mastermind. Mehron allegedly lured her to Bathinda on the pretext of a promotional shoot. Hours later, he boarded a flight to the UAE from Amritsar.

Mehron isn’t just any fringe actor. He leads a vigilante group ‘Qaum De Rakhe’ (Protectors of the Community), which sees itself as Punjab’s moral police, judge and jury, deciding who deserves to live based on their own warped code. While two of his associates, Jaspreet Singh and Nimratjeet Singh, have been arrested, Mehron remains at large.

What followed in the aftermath of the murder is equally revealing. When Kanchan’s body was handed over to her family, no government or private ambulance was willing to offer transport to the crematorium. It was left to Sahara Jan Seva, an NGO that cremates unclaimed bodies, to step in.

Amritpal Singh Mehron

At the crematorium, her three grieving family members stood alone; not one friend from the digital world, not one from her social circle. No influencer solidarity. No public mourning from the crowd that once made her videos viral. For someone who had lakhs of followers, it was a very lonely final 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 trying to justify the killing in the name of ‘culture’ and ‘values’.

Disturbingly, a wave of support rose for the absconding Mehron from several quarters—religious, political and digital—all offering twisted justification by calling Kanchan’s content “vulgar and immoral”. Leading the charge was Malkiat Singh, the head granthi of the Golden Temple. In a public statement, he defended Mehron’s actions, claiming the victim had “adopted a Sikh name to tarnish the community’s image”.

“Such treatment is deserved. Nothing wrong has happened,” he said. His sentiments were echoed by the acting jathedar of the Akal Takht and the general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, MP from Faridkot, even promised to raise the issue in Parliament to address the “cultural insult” by Kanchan.

Flex boards featuring Mehron appeared across Ludhiana, portraying him as ‘Qaum da heera’ (Jewel of the Community) and ‘Izattan de rakhe’ (Protector of Honour), transforming a murder accused into a local hero.

On social media, the narrative grew darker. Fringe groups and radical outfits launched congratulatory hashtags and celebratory posters. Some influencers from Punjab and Haryana jumped into the fray, releasing videos supporting the murder and warning other “immoral elements” to watch out.

Mehron soon surfaced online with two videos, taking full responsibility for the murder and portraying it as a message to those posting “vulgar” content. His rhetoric even found an echo across the border with Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti releasing a video praising Mehron and calling him a “brave lion”.

Mehron and his associates claim to be Nihangs—members of a traditional Sikh warrior order—but are not affiliated with any established Nihang jathebandi (sect). The largest and most influential of these, the Baba Buddha Dal, distanced itself from the act with its chief Baba Balbir Singh saying, “A true Sikh never attacks an unarmed person, especially a woman.”

Equally disturbing is the silence of the state’s mainstream political leadership. Political analyst Prof. Harjeshwar Pal Singh sums it up: “Whenever it comes to speaking out against radical fringe groups, the politicians turn silent. Had there been an opportunity to align with them, they’d have shown up in full force.”

The Punjab State Commission for Women chairperson Raj Lali Gill initially issued a statement condemning the killing, but soon changed her tone to suggest that it was the “primary responsibility” of women influencers to ensure their content didn’t violate the “social and moral fabric” of society.

The Punjab government on its part suspended 106 social media accounts, declaring them “objectionable”. Meanwhile, no similar action is being taken against accounts justifying the murder or glorifying Mehron. The question that begs an answer is: whose values are we really defending?