Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 13: Body of Chamel Singh, an Indian prisoner, who was beaten to death by jail staff in Kot Lakhpat Rai jail of Lahore in Pakistan on January 15, reached here tonight nearly two months after his killing and would be taken to his native village of Pargwal tomorrow.
Reports said body of Chamel Singh reached Wagah border in Amritsar district of Punjab at 2 pm today. It was brought on the Internal Border (IB) by a strong contingent of Pakistan authorities including their civil administration, medical experts and security personnel.
On Indian side, the body was received by Chamel Singh’s two sons including the elder one, Dara Singh and brother besides BJP leaders Sat Sharma CA, Jai Singh, Karan Sharma and Manish Raja. The official delegation from Jammu comprised Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jammu Ravi Shankar and IPS officer Rayees Ahmed.
The officers of Amritsar district were also present at the spot.
Reports said Pakistan authorities performed post-mortem on Chamel Singh this morning at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore before bringing his body at Wagah border and handing it over to the authorities on this side.
Sat Sharma said they had taken air conditioned Critical Care Ambulance to bring the body but the administration used its own non AC ambulance.
The body reached Government Medical College, Jammu at 8 pm and was kept in the mortuary. Post-mortem on the body would be performed tomorrow morning and then it would be handed over to the family members.
The body would be taken to Chamel Singh’s native village Bhalwal Molu in Pargwal area of Akhnoor tehsil tomorrow and cremated there.
Chamel Singh was beaten to death by the jail staff and some inmates at Kot Lakhpat Rai jail on January 15 over washing of clothes. Pakistan jail authorities had claimed that he felt uneasy after breakfast and died of cardiac arrest in the hospital.
The issue of return of his body had been hanging fire for past nearly two months. BJP’s Rajya Sabha member from Punjab Avinash Rai Khanna had raised the issue of return of Chamel Singh’s body in the House of Elders recently.
The External Affairs Ministry had taken up the issue with Pakistani counterparts.
Chamel Singh had been awarded five years imprisonment for illegal border crossing and spying, which he had to complete in 2015.
Official sources said the post-mortem report would give clues about the reasons behind the death of Chamel Singh. A Board of Doctors was likely to perform post-mortem on the body.
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