When Dr Singh sought pardon for pupils protesting against him

New Delhi: Visiting the JNU campus to unveil a statue of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru, Manmohan Singh was shown black flags by Left-backed students. The university issued show-cause notices to the students, with a few even being detained by the police. A day later, Singh intervened and suggested to then VC BB Bhattacharya to be lenient with the students. During his visit, Singh had also quoted French philosopher Voltaire, saying, “I may disagree with what you have to say but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.” PTI

Ancestral Pak village remembers ‘Mohna’

Gah: The residents of Gah village in Pakistan, where Manmohan Singh studied up to Class IV, held a meeting to condole the death of village boy who went on became India’s PM. “The entire village is in mourning. We feel that someone from our family has died,” said Altaf Hussain, a local teacher. Locals share how Singh’s friends fondly called him ‘Mohna’. Some classmates who were around when he became Prime Minister in 2004 are dead now. But their families still live in Gah and cherish the old link. PTI

Preferred Maruti 800 over high-tech BMW

Lucknow: Asim Arun, a former IPS officer who worked as Manmohan Singh’s chief bodyguard, recalled how despite having a fleet of high-security vehicles, including a BMW, the ex-PM would often express his preference for his Maruti 800. Arun recalled Singh telling him, “Asim, I don’t like travelling in this car (BMW). My car is the Maruti.” He said he would explain to Singh the security requirements of the high-tech BMW, but the ex-PM’s gaze would always turn to the Maruti 800 as his motorcade passed by it. PTI