Sarabjit Singh’s hometown Bhikhiwind mourned his death on Thursday. A pall of gloom descended on this small town tucked away on the Indo-Pak border when the news of his death spread like fire across the village.
Waking up to the sad news of his demise, villagers started to throng Sarabjit’s house from early morning. With the family away in New Delhi, there was no one at their house here.
Establishments in the town too remained shut since morning after receiving the news. Some residents also gathered outside the local gurdwara and protested against Pakistan.
“We were expecting a miracle to happen. We wanted Sarabjit to recover. What the Pakistanis have done is cowardly. He had suffered in their jails for nearly 23 years and now they have murdered him,” a visibly upset Bhikhiwind resident Kirpal Singh said.
“Residents of the town were hoping and praying that Sarabjit would return in their midst one day. The Pakistani authorities have killed him by conspiracy,” another resident Amrit Kaur said.
SAD demands independent enquiry
Shiromani Akali Dal demanded an independent enquiry in the cold-blooded murder of Sarabjit in Kot lakhpat Jail, lahore. “An enquiry by International Committee of Red Cross is imperative to expose the utter human right violations in this case,” said SAD chief Sukhbir Badal.
He said: “India should push Pakistan for an independent probe into Sarabjit’s death. The way he was butchered in the jail is a direct violation of human rights. International Committee of the Red Cross should be involved.”