Kirpal Singh's family members meet Rajnath, demand fresh post-mortem in India

The family members of Kirpal Singh, the Indian prisoner, who died under mysterious circumstances in a Lahore jail, are expected to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.

Pic Courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: The family members of Kirpal Singh, the Indian prisoner, who died under mysterious circumstances in a Lahore jail, met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.

Dalbir Kaur, the sister of another Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who had earlier died in the Pakistan jail, accompanied them during their meeting with the Home Minister.

The Home Minister had assured us that all our concerns will be addressed and body of Kripal Singh will be brought back soon, Dalbir Kaur told reporters after the meeting.

Kirpal's family members have denied Pakistan's claim that he died of a heart attack and demanded post-mortem in India to ascertain the facts.

"How can we believe that he died of heart attack? His body should be sent to us and post-mortem be done. We want to know the truth," nephew of Singh told ANI.

With India raising the issue of Singh's death, Pakistan has said that the Indian prisoner died of heart attack while asserting that it was not appropriate to see everything through the prism of suspicion and conspiracy.

"The Indian prisoner Kirpal Singh died on April 11 due to heart attack. It is not appropriate to see everything through the prism of suspicion and conspiracy. He was kept in intensive care at the hospital but he could not survive," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said.

He said that Islamabad was in touch with the Indian High Commission with regard to handing over Singh's body.

"We have communicated this information to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. We are in contact with the Ministry of Interior and the Indian High Commission with regard to transportation of dead body back to India," he added.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday met the family members of Singh in New Delhi and promised a full inquiry into the matter.

India's Acting High Commissioner in Islamabad, J.P. Singh, met the Director-General for South Asia in the Pakistani Ministry for Foreign Affairs to request that Singh's body be flown to India at the earliest.

"Our Acting High Commissioner met DG South Asia in the Min of Foreign Affairs & asked for earliest possible repatriation of mortal remains," tweeted Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup earlier.

Kirpal Singh's kin had on Tuesday staged a protest at the Attari border and raised anti- Pakistan slogans near the Integrated Check Post (ICP).