The bodies of all 11 Punjabis, who died in the gas leak in a restaurant in Georgia on December 14, were cremated by their families in their respective hometowns in the state.
The bodies of Jalandhar-based Ravinder Kala, Patiala-based Amarinder, Moga-based Gagandeep and Mansa-based Maninder Kaur arrived at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar on Monday with the efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs. These were taken to Amritsar via three flights in the last two days.
Teams from Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust reached the airport on Tuesday to complete the official formalities. Family members of the victims had been called there. The NGO also arranged for ambulances to send the victims’ bodies to their respective locations.
The body of Gagandeep Singh (24) of Ghal Kalan village in Moga was cremated in the presence of his family members. His father Gurmukh Singh had reached the airport in Amritsar to identify the body. Gagandeep had gone to Georgia four months ago after taking a loan of Rs 4 lakh. “On December 12, I spoke to my son and inquired about his well-being,” said Gurmukh Singh.
Family members of Jalandhar-based Ravinder Kala performed his last rites at the Kot Ramdas cremation ground on Wednesday. Amarjot Singh, Jalandhar-based activist of the charitable foundation, attended his cremation and shared his grief with the family. Kala had not seen her family for the past seven years.
The body of Sandeep Singh (35) of Jaswant Singh Mohalla in Tarn Taran was cremated at the Sachkhand Road cremation ground on Wednesday. The body reached the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on Tuesday and activists of the Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust brought it to the deceased’s residence last night. The pyre was lit by the deceased’s father Balwant Singh. Sandeep is survived by his widow Baljit Kaur, eight-year-old daughter and father.
