A day after testing positive, Padma Shri awardee and Golden Temple's former Hazuri Raagi Nirmal Singh, 62, died from coronavirus in Amritsar on Thursday at 4.30 am, taking Punjab's death tally to five.
The fifth corona positive patient succumbed to the deadly virus on the day the State recorded another COVID-19 case from Hoshiarpur. With this, the total positive cases have reached 47, out of which 41 are active cases while one patient has recovered.
"Singh died of sudden cardiac arrest at Amritsar's Government Medical College during the ambrosial moments of Amrit Vela on Thursday…His risk factor increased due to his bronchial asthma. He had tested positive for Covid-19," tweeted the State Special Chief Secretary, Punjab Disaster Management (COVID-19), KBS Sidhu, while confirming the news of Singh's death.
The Health Department officials maintained that he was put on ventilator late on Wednesday after his condition worsened.
The "Gurbani" exponent, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2009, had recently returned from abroad and was admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital after he complained of breathlessness and dizziness on March 30.
Meanwhile, police have sealed the area around Singh's residence to check the spread of the infection.
The GMC test reports have cleared that six out of nine persons - family and members of a jatha, the immediate contacts of Singh have tested negative for coronavirus. However, they would be kept under observation.
The Administration has also sealed Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar and Tej chowk areas in Sultanwind area where Khalsa resided. The Health Department has also home quarantined four doctors who attended to Khalsa while reports were awaited.
On his return, Singh had attended many religious events, including accompanying renowned table maestro Zakir Hussain to Golden Temple on February 29, performing a kirtan at a private house at Chandigarh's Sector 27 on March 19, besides a large religious gathering in Delhi, and some other places.
Further details regarding Singh's travel history and events that he was part of are being ascertained by the authorities.
Later, the villagers refused to carry out the last rites at common crematorium, and later the cremation was held at shamlat land.
Taking strong notice of not allowing the mortal remains of Singh to be consigned to flames at the cremation ground at Verka, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said the mortal remains of the renowned Gurmat Sangeet exponent had been insulted by this act.
Sukhbir asked Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to intervene and ensure such incidents were not allowed to occur in the State. "Such acts are against the spirit of humanity and communal brotherhood and have the capacity to spiral out of control and result in serious consequences for society. Those responsible for locking the Verka cremation ground must be taken to task and proceeded against," he demanded.
He said a clear directive should also be issued by the Government that no COVID-19 victim will be discriminated and denied last rites in this manner.