Sarabjit Singh’s sister Dalbir Kaur passes away at 60

New Delhi: Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh who was sentenced to death for spying by a Pakistan court in 1991 and passed away in 2013 in Lahore, has died on Saturday night.

Her last rites will be conducted today at Bhikhiwind in Punjab. Sarbjit Singh was a farmer from Bhikhiwind town in Punjab, who used to live near the India-Pakistan border, who mistakenly crossed over the border after having a couple of drinks. However, he was sentenced to death by a Pakistan court in 1991.

Singh was kept in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore for 22 years and after that, he was beaten up by his inmates and was taken to hospital. Singh was declared dead by doctors at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital after being comatose for five days due to severe injuries in the head after an attack on him on the jail premises in 2013.

During his 22 years in jail, his older sister Dalbir Kaur had fought against the system to release her brother.

Dalbir Kaur had always insisted that her brother, Singh was innocent and had strayed into Pakistan by mistake when he was arrested. She also went to Pakistan to see her brother.

Then Ministry of External Affairs had asked the Pakistani government to conduct a probe into Singh’s death, while his sister, Dalbir Kaur had also called for an inquiry into the case and said: “If the attack was planned by the government itself, then there is no need for an inquiry. But if Sarabjit was attacked without the knowledge of the authorities, then an inquiry is definitely needed.”