Bhikhiwind (Punjab), May 3 (ANI): A sea of humanity that included political leaders like Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the state's Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and other dignitaries stood witness as the mortal remains of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner who died in a Pakistan hospital yesterday, was consigned to flames in his native village Bhikhiwind on Friday afternoon with full state honours.
Before the funeral pyre was lit, The Last Post was sounded by a contingent of the Punjab Police near the tri-coloured draped coffin containing Sarabjit Singh's body.
There was reversal of arms and a silence of two minutes. Shots were fired in the air by the police personnel, as the surging crowd shouted slogans of "Jo Bole so Nihaal Sat Sri Akaal" and "Sarabjit Singh Amar Rahe".
Earlier, his body was taken in an open truck to the cremation ground from the local school compound, where his last rites were performed amongst emotional scenes in the presence of anguished kith and kin, besides other well-wishers.
The final rites were performed by Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur. His wife Sukhpreet and two daughters Swapandeep and Poonam were also present.
Officials of the district administration had made arrangements for the state funeral with a large number of police personnel being deployed.
A large number of people, including women, attended Sarabjit's cremation ceremony.
The government, which has announced a state funeral, has also declared a three-day mourning as a mark of respect to Sarabjit.
The village, which is located about 36 kms from Amritsar, is in a state of mourning since Thursday with residents gathering near Sarabjit's house to express their condolences to his family members.
The villagers also staged a protest here to express their solidarity with Sarabjit and raised anti-Pakistan slogans to vent their ire.
Sarabjit's body was brought to India from Pakistan last night. The body was first brought to Amritsar from Lahore by a special Air India flight and subsequently taken to his hometown Village Bhikhiwind by a special helicopter.
Before handing over the body to the family, a second post-mortem was conducted on Sarabjit's body at the government-run Amritsar Medical College in Patti at the family's request, as they wanted to know the cause of death from medical authorities in India. The first autopsy was conducted at Lahore's Jinnah Hospital.
Sarabjit had been on death row since 1991 after he was convicted of espionage and links to a series of bombings in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
His mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.
However, Sarabjit's family contended that his case was that of a mistaken identity. (ANI)
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