New Delhi: Tucked away in a cramped flat in the narrow lanes of west Delhi’s Hari Nagar, 20-year-old Harman Singh spent his days balancing the rigours of a BTech degree with a singular, driving ambition: joining the Indian armed forces.But on April 1, the quiet life of this student took a baffling turn. Singh’s sudden disappearance triggered a chaotic chain of events that ended in a security breach at Delhi Assembly on Monday and the eventual arrest of his uncle, Sarabjit Singh.Sarabjit has said that he drove a car into the Assembly complex, breaching security, to draw attention to the case of his missing nephew. Police are verifying if this is true.When TOI visited Harman’s Hari Nagar neighbourhood, friends described him as a student who was not only academically inclined but also focused on his goal of joining the army.
Even with the midterms approaching, he split his time between NCC training at college and preparing for entrance exams.Harman came to Delhi from his native Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh about two years ago, hoping to build a better future. His father is a farmer and mother a homemaker. Harman is their only child.The move to the rented flat in Feb marked a step towards independence after his relatives in Delhi shifted out. The computer science student remained connected to his family, speaking to his parents two to three times a day.
Before shifting on Feb 14, he returned from a visit home on Feb 2.“He appeared for the NDA examinations after Class XII and continued along that path as an NCC cadet in college,” a friend said. “He was also part of the basketball team and stood out after being the only student from his college selected for a national NCC camp last Sept.”He was slightly unwell in early March. “I tried making plans to go to Connaught Place or Bangla Sahib, but he would refuse, saying he wanted to save time and money.
He was quiet, but there were no fights or financial issues,” the friend said. In the days leading up to his disappearance, he was not attending classes regularly. Two weeks before he went missing, there were fewer classes at college, and he remained absent in the week leading up to it.Harman’s parents last spoke to him on the day he went missing. His last known location was traced to Anandpur Sahib in Punjab’s Nangal area.
A friend said he was last seen leaving his area around 6.30 pm on April 1 and later appeared in CCTV footage on a bus.“He is believed to have booked the ticket himself. He never mentioned wanting to go there. We don’t know what could have happened, but his parents are worried,” the friend said. “The family had initially not informed his uncle because of his depression. He found out through social media.”His flatmate left for his village on March 22. His last known interaction was with the same flatmate on March 30, when they discussed routine matters such as arranging for a gas cylinder. Friends described him as an introvert. Locals in Hari Nagar said they mostly saw him during visits to a nearby park with his flatmate, adding that his reserved nature made it difficult to tell if anything was troubling him.
