Ashes of Afghanistan blast victims immersed in Sutlej

Tribune News Service

Kiratpur Sahib, July 23

Ashes of 12 Sikhs killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan were immersed in the Sutlej at Gurdwara Patalpuri Sahib here on Monday.

The ashes were brought to Delhi on July 19 from where the relatives of the deceased accompanied by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) reached here to perform the last rites.

On July 1, a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of Sikhs and Hindus on their way to meet Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani in the eastern city of Jalalabad, killing 19 people, including 12 Sikhs and a Hindu.

Avtar Singh Khalsa, who had planned to stand in October’s parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, was also killed in the blast.

While DSGMC member Kulwant Singh Batth was accompanying the relatives of the victims, SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema, SGPC members Amarjit Singh Chawla and Principal Surinder Singh joined the bereaved families at the gurdwara.

However, no one was present to represent the state government or the district administration on the occasion. Before immersing the ashes in the Sutlej, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib head granthi Bhai Phula Singh performed ‘ardas’.