Sarabjit Singh Dies - Thursday May 01,2013

Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh breathed his last around 12-45 a.m. on Thursday May 01,2013 at Lahore's Jinnah Hospital where he had been on life-support since April 26,2013 after being brutally attacked in Kot Lakhpat Jail by fellow inmates.Sarabjit Singh had sustained severe head injuries and had slipped into coma soon after admission to the Jinnah Hospital.

Sarabjit Singh's daughter Swapandeep Kaur and his sister Dalbir Kaur break down after hearing the news about an attack on him in Kot Lakhpat Rai Jail in Pakistan

School children hold photographs of Sarabjit Singh, as they light candles and pray for his recovery in Amritsar, on April 29, 2013

Indian prisoner in Pakistan Sarabjit Singh died of a cardiac arrest at Lahore's Jinnah hospital on Thursday after batting for life for nearly a week. The announcement from Pakistan came late in the night. Demands are now growing for his body to be brought back to India. Sources say that the body may be brought back by Thursday afternoon. While his body has been shifted to a mortuary, Pakistan has formed a medical team to conduct the autopsy.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled Sarabjit's death saying, "I am deeply saddened by the passing away of Sarabjit Singh. He was a brave son of India who bore his tribulations with valiant fortitude. The criminals responsible for the barbaric and murderous attack on him must be brought to justice. It is particularly regrettable that the government of Pakistan did not heed the pleas of the government of India, Sarabjit's family and of civil society in India and Pakistan to take a humanitarian view of this case. May his soul be granted the peace that he could not enjoy in life. Government will make the arrangements to bring his remains home and for his last rites to be conducted in consultation with his family. The nation shares their profound grief with them."



Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde visited Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh's family and condoled his death

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said Sarabjit Singh's death was a setback to people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan. "It's a terrible psychological, emotional setback for us,"

Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur condoled Sarabjit Singh's death saying, "I'm really very sorry for the family, they worked really hard to get Sarabjit released."

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari said, "Sarabjit has been murdered in cold blood in custody in the Pakistan state."

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal called Sarabjit Singh's death a diplomatic failure of the government of India.

The PM announced  an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh for the family

Punjab State Govt announced financial assistance of Rs 1 crore and declared State Mourning for 3 Days
Also the Punjab State Govt announced Govt Jobs for Sarabjit Singh's daughters Swapandeep Kaur and Poonam

About  Sarabjit Singh

• Sarabjit Singh was an Indian citizen convicted of terrorism ( although a case of mistaken identity) and jailed in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan from 1990

• Sarabjit Singh was convicted in Pakistan as 'Manjit Singh' but still the evidence is missing for involvement in the 1990 serial bomb blasts at Lahore and Faisalabad that killed 14 people

• Sarabjit Singh claimed that he was a farmer and a victim of mistaken identity, who strayed into Pakistan from his village located on the border, three months after the bombings, when drunk

• Sarabjit Singh was sentenced to death in 1991 but his hanging had been repeatedly postponed. 

• Five Mercy Petitions were filed on his behalf, in which Sarabjit maintained that he served twenty-two years of prison term for a crime he had not committed.

• On 26 June 2012, it was reported that Pakistan's President had ordered his release on the basis of his petition filed on 28 May 2012.However, five hours later , due to internal pressure this pardon was revoked and it was claimed that another prisoner, Surjeet Singh, had been pardoned and not Sarabjit Singh. 

Sarabjit Singh's body flown to Amritsar -Thursday May 02,2013

 The body of Sarabjit Singh was brought to Amritsar onboard a special Air-India aircraft from Lahore,Pakistan where he died following a murderous assault in the jail

Sukhpreet Kaur, the wife Sarabjit Singh, wails over the coffin of her husband at Bhikhiwind - See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/picture-gallery/today-in-pics-sarabjit-singh-cremated-with-full-state-honours/2637-1.html#sthash.TUiU7Kv1.dpuf

Sukhpreet Kaur,W/o Sarabjit Singh wails over the coffin of her husband in Bhikhiwind

 

Sarabjit Singh Cremated with State Honours -May 03,2013

The mortal remains of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who died after being brutally assaulted in a Pakistani jail, were on Friday May 03,2013 consigned to flames in his village with full state honours.

The pyre was lit by Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur in the presence of his wife Sukhpreet Kaur, daughters Swapandeep and Poonam and son-in-law Sanjay.

A large crowd comprising villagers and VIPs, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, bid a heartfelt adieu to Sarabjit, whose body was brought here late last night 23 years after he inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan 

Others present included Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal, state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa, vice chairman of National SC Commission Raj Kumar Verka, Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma and leaders representing various parties, including SAD, BJP and Congress.  

The body of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh was on Thursday night brought to Amritsar onboard a special Air India aircraft from Lahore, where he died following a murderous assault in a jail. - See more at: http://post.jagran.com/sarabjits-body-flown-to-1367507853#sthash.Rzp7wcuZ.dpuf