Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 28: The family members of prisoner Chamel Singh, who died in a Pakistani jail after he was reportedly beaten up by the prison authorities, today staged a protest demonstration in front of Divisional Commissioner’s Office here against the Pak Government and sought the intervention of Central Government in bringing his body from the neighbouring country.
Over 100 protestors including local villagers, the family members and relatives of Chamel Singh of Balwalmolu Pargwal who was imprisoned for five years and lodged in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore after mistakenly crossing over LoC in December 2008 staged a protest demonstration in front of Divisional Commissioner’s Office here shouting slogans against Pakistan and demanded handing over of body to the relatives.
The demonstration was led by BJP senior leader Sat Sharma (CA). The protestors while terming it a Human Rights violation presented a petition to Divisional Commissioner, Pardeep Gupta. They urged the Human Rights bodies to take the cognizance of barbarism and wickedness of Pakistani authorities. The world bodies should also take a cognizance of the act and take action against Pakistan, said Mr Sharma. Pakistan has been fully exposed for committing crimes against humanity, he added.
“We demand the body of my father from Pakistan. We urge the Union Government to intervene and take up the matter with Islamabad,” Dara Singh, son of Chamel Singh, said.
Dara Singh, urged the Divisional Commissioner that the petition be handed over to the Centre.
“We have given a petition to the Divisional Commissioner, who has promised us to take up the issue with concerned authorities for return of the body of our father from Pakistan,” Dara told reporters here.
“According to media reports, Pakistan authorities have said if the Indian Government takes up the matter, they will return the body,” he said.
“So, we urge the Government to take up the issue with Pakistan,” Dara Singh, whose mother Kamlesh Devi was present at the press conference, said.
“My husband had written a letter to us that his jail term is completing and he will return in two to three months,” Kamlesh said. “He wrote to us he was hale and hearty,” she said. Media reports said Chamel Singh, a resident of Pargwal area in Jammu, was “mercilessly beaten” by the prison staff in Kot Lakhpat jail. The reports quoted Pakistani lawyer Tehseen Khan, who was recently released from Kot Lakhpat jail, as saying he had seen the prison staff assaulting Chamel Singh for using water from a tap to wash clothes on January 15.
Chamel died two days later at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore, according to the reports.
Indian High Commission officials said they had been formally informed by the Pakistani authorities that Singh had died in Lahore on January 15.
A note on the matter did not mention the cause of Singh’s death, the officials said.
Chamel Singh was arrested and convicted for espionage in Pakistan in 2008.
His family said he was not involved in spying and had gone missing from his fields on the border with Pakistan in July 2008.
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