Punjab to bear cost of bringing back bodies
Wednesday, 08/08/2012
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CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government would facilitate the return of bodies of victims of the Wisconsin tragedy from the US to India for cremation.
The government would bear expenses of transportation from the US to the victims’ native villages. This assurance was given by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to the victims’ families on Monday evening.
Badal called on the families of Sita Singh and Ranjit Singh, the brothers who died in the shooting in the Oak Creek gurdwara. The CM expressed his sympathies and solidarity with the bereaved families.
The chief minister also called up Indian Ambassador in the US Nirupama Rao late on Monday night. Badal asked Rao to extend full cooperation to the families in the US in providing local relief as well as expediting the return of the bodies to India.
On his part, the CM said the state government would extend all help and bear all expenses on bringing the bodies back to their native places in India with full honours.
Stating this, a spokesperson for the CM’s office said here on Tuesday that Badal had sought the cooperation of the Indian embassy in the US to facilitate the transit of the bodies.
Earlier, US envoy Nancy Powell spoke to the chief minister on the phone and conveyed her country and her government’s profoundest sympathies and condolences to the tragedystricken families. Badal requested Powell for logistic and diplomatic support of the US administration in providing relief to families of the victims.
Powell assured the CM of her government’s total cooperation in the matter. “We stand by the government and the people of Punjab in their hour of grief and would extend all possible help to the affected families in bringing bodies of the victims back for cremation,” she said.
The CM emphasised the need for prompt follow-up action to ensure safety and security of members of the Sikh community residing in various parts of the US.
