Former CM Barnala cremated with honours

Bharat Khanna

Tribune News Service

Barnala, January 15

Former CM Surjit Singh Barnala was today cremated with full honours at Ram Bagh cremation ground here. His son and former Dhuri MLA Gaganjit Singh and grandson Simarpartap Singh jointly lit the pyre. Barnala died at the PGI, Chandigarh, on Thursday.

As a mark of respect, police officials fired shots into the air before the cremation.

Barnala Deputy Commissioner Amarpratap Singh Virk paid homage to Barnala on behalf of the Punjab and Tamil Nadu Governments.

Besides Barnala’s wife Surjit Kaur Barnala, several relatives and politicians paid homage to the leader.

But senior politicians such as CM Parkash Singh Badal, son Sukhbir Badal, daughter-in-law Harsimrat Badal, Punjab Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh did not attend.

Punjab Cabinet Minister Tota Singh; AAP MLA from Delhi Naresh Yadav; Congress MLA Kewal Dhillon; Uttarakhand Forest Minister Dinesh Aggrawal; Punjab Haj Committee former chairman Aslaq Mohammad Khan; Punjab Rural Development Minister Sikander Singh Maluka’s daughter-in-law Parampal Kaur Maluka; Congress leader Vijay Inder Singla; and candidates from Barnala including sitting MLA Kewal Dhillon (Congress), Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (AAP), Surinderpal Singh Sivian (SAD) were among those present.