Tearful farewell to Sarabjit

Several political leaders including Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal were present during the cremation. Punjab had announced a state funeral and three-day state mourning.

May 03, 2013 02:45 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 08:30 pm IST - CHANDIGARH:

Relatives try to console Sukhpreet Kaur, left, wife of Sarabjit Singh, a convicted Indian spy who died after he was bludgeoned to death by two fellow inmates at a Pakistani prison as she and her daughters react to the news at Bhikhiwind, India, Thursday, May 2, 2013.  Singh had been comatose and on a ventilator for days after the prison attack last Friday. Indians expressed outrage over the death Thursday as government officials said the incident had badly damaged relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. (AP Photo)

Relatives try to console Sukhpreet Kaur, left, wife of Sarabjit Singh, a convicted Indian spy who died after he was bludgeoned to death by two fellow inmates at a Pakistani prison as she and her daughters react to the news at Bhikhiwind, India, Thursday, May 2, 2013. Singh had been comatose and on a ventilator for days after the prison attack last Friday. Indians expressed outrage over the death Thursday as government officials said the incident had badly damaged relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. (AP Photo)

Amid heartrending scenes, Sarabjit Singh’s body was cremated with full state honours in Bhikhiwind on Friday. Even as his family, friends, relatives and fellow-villagers were disconsolate, the presence of VVIPs appeared to be a display of “politics over a common man’s body”. Large number of people flocked to the village in Tarn Taran district, where, in the absence of a surviving male family member, Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur performed the last rites in accordance with Sikh traditions. Flanked by her brother’s wife Sukhpreet Kaur and daughters Swapandeep Kaur and Poonam, Ms. Dalbir Kaur expressed regret that she had been unable to bring Sarabjit back alive.

Locals and visitors lined up to pay their last respect to Sarabjit, whose body arrived in a coffin from Pakistan. In 1990, he wandered into Pakistani territory — ostensibly in an inebriated state — where he was caught, charged, tried and convicted for allegedly carrying out a series of bomb blasts.

Sarabjit’s coffin, draped with Tricolour, was brought to the cremation ground in a special vehicle, as villagers followed in its wake. A contingent of the Punjab police, attired in ceremonial uniforms, escorted the funeral procession. As the rites were performed, another contingent of the Punjab police constabulary reversed its arms and provided a gun salute by firing a volley in the air.

The ceremony of consigning his mortal remains to flames was attended by the who’s who of the political spectrum — a glum Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was seen hugging Ms. Dalbir Kaur. He was accompanied by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who was accompanied by the entire State Cabinet, paid floral tributes and was seen trying to console Sarabjit’s daughters as they grieved over Sarabjit’s coffin.

Keeping in view the presence of VVIPs, the cremation ground was made “out of bounds” for the general public. Bhikhiwind residents, Sarabjit’s friends and others climbed onto the roofs of adjacent buildings or perched on trees to have a glimpse of the last rites. According to one Harish Kumar, it was “a sea of grieving humanity” that descended on Bhikhiwind. “There were people who had never been to this area nor met Sarabjit earlier,” he said.

Octogenarian Tarsem Sharma said he had never witnessed anything like this — that a “commoner” like Sarabjit could, in his death, bring so many dignitaries to Bhikhiwind, where almost two decades ago, people feared to walk around during the day, as terror stalked the streets.

Meanwhile, the “emergency” session of the Punjab Assembly, which was originally convened to discuss the Union government’s proposal to impose wealth tax on agricultural land, was adjourned within 14 minutes of business. Apart from the other obituary references, the House passed a unanimous resolution declaring Sarabjit as a “National Martyr.” The members demanded a special inquest at the international level to ascertain the particulars behind Sarabjit’s death.

In the light of the assault in a Jammu prison on Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah, the State government issued special orders for enhancing security for the over five dozen Pakistani inmates in different jails across the State.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.