110-year-old freedom fighter cremated with full state honours

Ludhiana: Narinder Singh, a 110-year-old Sikh freedom fighter, who died due to cardiac arrest yesterday, was cremated with full state honours today. 

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He breathed his last at Guru Amardas Ashram in Saraba. His body, wrapped in a tricolour, was cremated at the Model Town Extension cremation ground. The police accorded him the guard honour. His last rites were jointly performed by DC Ravi Bhagat, DCP Dhruman Nimble, Social Worker Ruchi Bawa, SDM Paramjit Singh, Principal Gurwinder Kaur, vice-principal Hardeep Kaur, Deepinderpal Singh, state awardee Sukhdev Singh and Santokh Singh.

He was residing at a room of Government Model Senior Secondary High School, Dholewal Chowk, Ludhiana, for the past 40-45 years but had injured his hip joint a month ago. School teachers and students used to take care of him. In March 2015, Narinder dislocated his hip joint and he was admitted to the DMCH for 1 month. Later, he was shifted to Guru Amardas Ashram, Sarabha.

Born in 1905 at Duvehar Kalan village of Rawalpindi district in Pakistan, Narinder joined the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) in 1943 under Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to liberate India from the British rulers. 

Government Model Senior Secondary School teachers, Ashram management and Dholewal residents were also present. Narinder Singh had no relative, which is why his last rites were performed under the supervision of Ruchi Bawa and school Principal Gurwinder Kaur. When Rajat Agarwal was DC, Ludhiana, special care was taken of Narinder Singh. He sent a special condolence message as well.  —TNS