Sarabjit Singh (carom Player)
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Sarabjit Singh (1963 or 1964 – 2 May 2013) (alleged to be Manjit Singh Rattu by
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
) was an Indian national convicted of
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
and
spying Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or Confidentiality, confidential information (Intelligence (information), intelligence). A person who commits espionage on ...
by a Pakistani court. He was tried and convicted by the
Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...
for a series of bomb attacks in
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
and
Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...
that killed 14 bystanders in 1990. However, according to India, Sarabjit was a farmer who strayed into Pakistan from his village located on the border, three months after the bombings. After a brief trial in the
Lahore High Court The Lahore High Court () is a provincial court house based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over the province of Punjab. The High Court's principal seat is ...
(later directed to the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
), he was condemned and
sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
in 1991, but the sentence was repeatedly postponed by the
Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...
. While in prison at
Kot Lakhpat Jail Kot Lakhpat Jail, officially known as Central Jail Lahore, is a prison located at Rakh Chandra ( Kot Lakhpat) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The jail houses more than four times the 4000 prisoner capacity it was built for. History Some prison ...
, Lahore in April 2013, he was attacked by fellow inmates and died six days later at the Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. On 14 April 2024, Singh's alleged murderer, Amir Sarfaraz Tamba, was attacked and killed by unknown masked gunmen near his home in Lahore.


Background and family

Singh was born in
Bhikhiwind Bhikhiwind is a town and a nagar panchayat, just about 33 km from Tarn Taran Sahib in Tarn Taran district in the Majha region of state of Punjab, India. The town is located along the India-Pakistan border in Tarn Taran district of Punjab, India, ...
, located along the Indo-Pakistani border in the
Tarn Taran district Tarn Taran district is one of the districts in the Majha region of Punjab, India. The main cities are Tarn Taran Sahib, Bhikhiwind, Khadur Sahib and Patti. The City of Tarn Taran Sahib is a holy place for Sikhs. Tarn Taran's Sikh populatio ...
of
Punjab, India Punjab () is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states ...
. He was fond of wrestling and taking care of rare pigeons. He worked as a farmer on other's fields. He was married to Sukhpreet Kaur and had two daughters Swapandeep and Poonam Kaur. His sister, Dalbir Kaur, was working towards his release since 1991 till his death in 2013. However, another woman named Baljinder Kaur disputed Dalbir's relation to Singh and claimed to be Singh's real sister. According to Baljinder, Singh was the third eldest of ten siblings and Dalbir was not their sister, but had happened to know Singh since 1989; "Dalbir Kaur assured us she had right links and would struggle for the release of Sarabjit on some conditions. We trusted her and let her pursue the matter, only to be pushed out of the picture." Dalbir added that she had nothing to prove her relation with Singh except offering to undergo a DNA test. She also claimed that Singh's real brothers, Charanjit and Harbhajan, were not allowed to light his pyre at his funeral and were "pushed back" by people at the cremation ground. Commenting further on Dalbir, she added: "People have been coming to the fore (after Singh's death) for cheap publicity. They were nowhere when I alone struggled for his release."


Arrest and prosecution

Sarabjit was caught on an unmarked Indo-Pakistani border area and arrested by the
Pakistan Rangers The Pakistan Rangers () are a pair of paramilitary federal law enforcement corps' in Pakistan. The two corps are the Punjab Rangers (operating in Punjab province with headquarters in Lahore) and the Sindh Rangers (operating in Sindh province w ...
near
Kasur Kasur (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ; also Romanization, romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to the south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. The city s ...
. Singh and his supporters claimed that the arrest was a case of mistaken identity and that he was only a poor farmer who was drunk and had strayed over the border. His sister said that the family launched a search but could not find any clue to his whereabouts for nine months. After a year they received a letter from Singh, informing them that he had been arrested in Pakistan as ''Ranjit Singh'', as he had no identification papers and had been charged by the Lahore police in the bombings. He was convicted of spying and carrying out the bombings and was given the death penalty. Some sources say that he was initially arrested on charges of illegally crossing the India-Pakistan border. But after eight days, the
Pakistani police Law enforcement in Pakistan () is one of the three main components of the Pakistan Penal Code, criminal justice system of Pakistan, alongside the Judiciary of Pakistan, judiciary and the :Prisons in Pakistan, prisons. The country has a mix of fe ...
charged him with involvement in the 1990 terror blasts at
Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...
and
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
. He was accused of working for the Indian
Research and Analysis Wing The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is the foreign intelligence agency of the Republic of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, and a ...
intelligence agency. He subsequently confessed on camera to the bombings. It was later reported that Ranjit Singh was later apprehended in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, and later in
Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
in India.


Death sentence

In 1991 Singh was given the death sentence under Pakistan's Army Act. His sentence was upheld by the High Court Division and later by the Appeallate Division. The Supreme Court dismissed a petition to review his death sentence in March 2006 as Singh's lawyers failed to appear for the hearing. Singh said that his appeal had been dismissed by the Pakistan Supreme Court only because of lack of interest by his former lawyer.


Issues with prosecution

Singh had been arrested on the night of 30 August 1990 at the Kasur border for illegally crossing the Indo-Pakistani border. Eight days after, the police implicated him in the terrorist bombings. Burney also pointed out that the same magistrate had recorded the witness statements in all the four bombings, of which one had taken place at
Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...
and the remaining three at
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, although the police investigations involved four different police stations and two different districts. He said four different magistrates should have recorded the statements. None of the statements recorded in front of the magistrate were taken under oath. Singh had been paraded before the witnesses in the absence of the magistrate, and the police had informed the witnesses that he was the bomber. This was confirmed by Salim's testimony. An Indian origin British lawyer, Jas Uppal, campaigning for his release, pointed to several problems with the prosecution in the trial. These problems included: * His identity was never verified or proved in court and no forensic evidence was provided at his trial to link him to the bomb attacks. * The trial was conducted in English, which Singh does not speak or understand, and no interpreter was provided. * There were allegations that he was tortured in custody and forced to confess. * The trial was "fast-tracked". * The main witness repeatedly changed his version of events.


After conviction

On 26 April 2008, the key witness Shaukat Salim retracted his statement during an interview with journalists. Salim's father and other relatives had been killed in the bombing. In court Salim testified that Singh had planted the bomb but later said that he made that statement under pressure from the police. Singh's lawyer, Abdul Rana Hamid, said that Salim's statements had no legal standing as they were never recorded in court. Five of his mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and the
President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.
, but in 2008 the government nonetheless put off Singh's execution indefinitely.


Presidential pardon

On 27 June 2012, both Pakistani and international media reported President
Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...
signed a document sent by the interior ministry of Pakistan commuting Singh's death sentence to life in prison. A life sentence in Pakistan generally lasts 14 years. Singh, having spent 22 years in jail, was therefore to be released. The news of his pardon and imminent release initiated celebrations in his hometown. The Indian foreign minister also issued a statement of appreciation to Islamabad for the gesture. This drew a storm of condemnation from right-wing political groups
Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...
and Jamaat-ud-Da'wah. Later that day, after media agencies in both Pakistan and India had reported on a commuted sentence and pending release for Singh, the Pakistani government announced that the name of the prisoner to be released would be ''Surjeet'' Singh, not ''Sarabjit'' Singh. Surjeet Singh was arrested on charges of spying by the Pakistani security officials. Indian government, however, denied that Surjeet Singh was a spy. Regarding the confusion related to Sarabjit-Surjeet mix-up, Surjeet Singh said that similar Urdu spellings of both the names led to the confusion. Surjeet also said that Indian prisoners are not treated well at all in Pakistani jails and they are provided with no basic necessities.
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
reported that in recent years, several Indians returning from Pakistani jails have admitted that they have been maliciously framed by the Pakistani Intelligence for spying for India. Some have criticised India's government for abandoning them. Five hours later the Pakistani government issued a statement denying the reports and holding the media responsible for the confusion. They announced that the release order had been for another prisoner, Surjeet Singh, who was pardoned in 1989. Sarabjit's family condemned the incident as a'' ''"cruel joke". Singh filed a new mercy appeal to the President of Pakistan on the 65th independence day of that country.


Efforts for release

On 23 August 2005, Singh's case was taken up in both houses of the
Indian Parliament The Parliament of India (ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The President o ...
, where the government was asked to take action for his release. In March 2008, Singh's family went to Pakistan for his scheduled execution. They met several prominent Pakistani politicians, including former Prime minister
Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...
to appeal for his release. Sharif said, "After seeing the plight of the members of Sarabjit's family who have come to Pakistan, any person can feel the pain they are going through." However, Sharif added that he should be released on the condition that India would send him back to Pakistan if further evidence was found against him. The Indian External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh took up Sarabjit Singh's case with the Pakistan High Commissioner
Aziz Ahmed Khan Aziz Ahmed Khan was Pakistan's high commissioner to India from June 2003 to September 2006. His tenure as high commissioner to India was extended by Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz by a year in August 2005. Career Aziz Ahmed Khan had ...
and urged him to convey Delhi's hope that
Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...
would treat the matter as a humanitarian issue.


Mercy petitions

After his conviction in 1991, several mercy petitions were filed by Singh's lawyers. The fifth petition was filed on 28 May 2012 along with 100,000 signatures collected from India. None of the mercy petitions were granted.


Free Sarabjit campaign

In 2009 British lawyer Jas Uppal started an online campaign "freesarabjitsingh.com" to highlight the case and request human rights groups to intervene on his behalf. Awais Sheikh, Singh's Pakistani lawyer, supported the campaign and provided his services free of charge. Bollywood actor and activist
Raza Murad Raza Murad (born 23 November 1950) is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Hindi films. He has acted in over 250 Hindi films and has also appeared in Bhojpuri, Punjabi and other languages and on Hindi television. Early life He is the so ...
also campaigned for his release. As of June 2012, he had collected 138,226 signatures in support of Singh's release. After the Pakistani government's reversal regarding his release in June 2012, Murad intensified his 'Free Sarabjit' campaign. In June 2012,
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
actor
Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...
came forward to seek support from people and media for the release of Sarabjit. He also started an online petition from his NGO  Being Human in support of his release.


Protests

In April 2008, a group of Pakistani students organised a march seeking withdrawal of all official moves to pardon Singh.


Death

Singh was attacked on 26 April 2013 at about 4:30 pm in the
Central Jail Lahore Kot Lakhpat Jail, officially known as Central Jail Lahore, is a prison located at Rakh Chandra ( Kot Lakhpat) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The jail houses more than four times the 4000 prisoner capacity it was built for. History Some prison ...
(Kot Lakhpat jail), by other prisoners, with bricks, sharp metal sheets, iron rods and blades. He was admitted to
Jinnah Hospital, Lahore Jinnah Hospital ( Punjabi, ), is a teaching hospital in the Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is owned by the Government of Punjab. It is spread over . According to the 'Ranking Web of World Hospitals', Jinnah Hospital, Lahore was the second best pu ...
in critical condition with severe head injuries, in a coma, with a broken backbone. He was placed on a ventilator. The exact circumstances of the attack and the number of attackers have been differently reported. Some sources have indicated that there were six assailants whereas others have indicated two. Some indicated that he was assaulted in his cell; others indicated that the attack took place when he was brought out of his cell for an hour-long break. According to his sister, the attack on Singh was pre-planned and the jail authorities were involved. His wife, sister and two daughters were allowed to visit him in the hospital. Singh had been threatened after
Afzal Guru Mohammad Afzal Guru (June 1969 – 9 February 2013) was a terrorist who was convicted for his role in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. He received a death sentence for his involvement, which was upheld by the Indian Supreme Court. Follow ...
was executed in India in February 2013 over his role in the
2001 Indian Parliament attack The 2001 Indian Parliament attack was a terrorist attack on the Parliament of India in New Delhi, India on 13 December 2001. The attack was carried out by five Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists that resulted in the deaths of six Delhi Police perso ...
case. Some sources had indicated that the attack was planned after Guru's execution. The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, termed the attack as "very sad". On 29 April 2013, India appealed to Pakistan to release Sarabjit Singh on humanitarian grounds or at least allow him to be provided medical treatment in India, but these were repeatedly rejected by Pakistan. Appeals by lawyers were also filed with the Supreme Court of Pakistan to send Singh for medical treatment to the UK or outside Pakistan to save his life. On 1 May 2013 he was declared
brain dead Brain death is the permanent, irreversible, and complete loss of brain function, which may include cessation of involuntary activity (e.g., breathing) necessary to sustain life. It differs from persistent vegetative state, in which the person i ...
by doctors at Jinnah Hospital, but Pakistani authorities refused to give a statement. His sister and family returned to India. His sister said that the doctors attending to her brother were not being honest with them and she suspected foul play. She also remarked to having seen ink on his left thumb and that the Pakistani doctors had been evading questions. On 2 May 2013, he was reported to have died at 12:45 am local time in Lahore, when he was removed from the ventilator support after his condition worsened towards the middle of the night. His body was brought to India by a special aircraft the same evening. Indian doctors claimed that the second postmortem revealed that vital organs were missing from his body. An autopsy also revealed that his skull was broken into two pieces. They were, however, waiting for the report of the first postmortem conducted in Pakistan.


Aftermath

The
Government of Punjab, India The Government of Punjab or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Punjab, India and its 23 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of Punjab, a judiciary and a legislati ...
declared a three-day period of mourning over Singh's death and announced it would pay his descendants a compensation of Rs 1,00,00,000.


Published accounts


Film

A biographical film called '' Sarabjit'' was produced by
Vashu Bhagnani Vashu Bhagnani is an Indian film producer from Mumbai, India who works in Bollywood film industry. He launched Puja Entertainment India Ltd. in 1995 with the movie ''Coolie No. 1'' His films include '' Coolie No. 1'' (1995), '' Hero No. 1'' ...
(among others) and directed by
Omung Kumar Omung Kumar Bhandula is an Indian film director, film production designer, and television host known for his work in Hindi films. He worked as an art director for the films ''Black'' (2005), and ''Saawariya'' (2007), before making his directoria ...
. Actress
Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (; Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil films. Rai won the Miss World 1994 pageant and later established herself as one of the most-popu ...
essayed the role of Singh's sister, Dalbir Kaur, while,
Randeep Hooda Randeep Hooda (; born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor, who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hooda is known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles. He made his Hindi film debut with '' Monsoon Wedding'' (2001). He ...
and Richa Chada played the role of Sarbjit Singh and his wife, Sukhpreet, respectively. The film was narrated through the perspective of Sarbjit Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur and was released on 20 May 2016 in India; the Censor board of Pakistan banned the film for being "anti-Pakistani".


See also

* Ravi Kaushik, RAW spy imprisoned in Pakistan * Kashmir Singh, Indian spy imprisoned in Pakistan *
Kulbhushan Jadhav Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav (born 16 April 1970; also spelled Kulbhushan Yadav, alleged alias Hussain Mubarak Patel) is an Indian national who has been incarcerated in Pakistan since 2016. The Pakistani government alleges that he is a spy for th ...
, Indian Navy Ex-Officer detained for espionage and terrorism in Balochistan


References


External links


Free Sarabjit Singh Website


{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Sarabjit 1990 in Pakistan Indian people imprisoned abroad Indian prisoners sentenced to death Indian people convicted of murder Indian people imprisoned on terrorism charges People from Tarn Taran district Deaths by beating Prisoners who died in Pakistani detention Foreign nationals imprisoned in Pakistan Indian people who died in prison custody Punjabi Sikhs 1960s births 2013 deaths Date of birth missing Indian spies India–Pakistan relations Indian expatriates in Pakistan People of the Research and Analysis Wing People convicted of espionage in Pakistan People convicted on terrorism charges Indian people murdered abroad Research and Analysis Wing activities in Pakistan