UPDATE: 4:28 p.m. IST — The body of Kirpal Singh was on Tuesday taken to a hospital in Amritsar for post-mortem as demanded by his family. The body was handed over to India by Pakistan in the afternoon.
Body of Kirpal Singh (Indian prisoner who died in Pak jail) taken to a hospital in Amritsar for post mortem pic.twitter.com/Ro4fYksrfZ
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 19, 2016
Original Story —
The body of Kirpal Singh, the Indian prisoner who died in a Lahore jail in Pakistan, was handed over to the Indian officials at the Wagah border on Tuesday. The body was taken to the Integrated Check Post (ICP) for documentation and other formalities, Asian News International (ANI) reported.
His body was brought to the Attari-Wagah border on Tuesday afternoon after the legal formalities were completed. Singh's close relatives and residents from his village in Gurdaspur district were also there at the border, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reported.
Pakistan conducted his post-mortem at Lahore's Jinnah hospital on Tuesday morning.
Singh was reportedly found dead in mysterious circumstances in Kot Lakhpat Jail on April 11. Pakistani authorities had said Singh died of a heart attack, a claim his family has rejected.
"How can we believe that he died of heart attack? His body should be sent to us and post-mortem should be done. We want to know the truth," Singh's nephew had told ANI.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj had assured Singh's family that they will make all efforts to bring the body to India and address all their concerns.
The 54-year-old was in prison since 1992 when he crossed the Wagah border and entered Pakistan. He was arrested on charges of spying on Pakistan for India and later sentenced to death in connection with a bomb blast at Faisalabad Railway Station in the Punjab province.
Body of Kirpal Singh brought to Wagah border, post-mortem was performed at a Lahore hospital today morning pic.twitter.com/lYNi2flGCf
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 19, 2016