Another Punjabi's dream of 'foreign lands' reduced in ashes

Hoshiarpur, Oct 19 (UNI) After 43-days of his death in Lebanon, the body of 18-year old Manjinder Singh was finally consigned to the flames here today.

As the pyre went up in flames, yet another dream of a Punjabi youth seeking greener pastures on foreign land was reduced to ashes.

His body reached Delhi yesterday from where it was brought here to his fathers residence at the Police Lines. Manjinder's father, Sarwan Singh, a police constable had recently retired from the Punjab Police.

Hundreds of men and women, including MP Avinash Rai Khanna and relatives of the deceased participated in the funeral of Manjinder Singh. A pall of gloom descended on the local Police Line area last night when his body reached here.

Manjinder left the home for Syria to earn his livelihood there about 7 months back. But the travel agent who promised to take him to Syria dumped him in Lebanon. The family members came to know about his stay at Lebanon when Manjinder contacted them a few months back. During his stay at Lebanon, he called up his family only once.

The news of his death reached the family on September 6.

The caller told the family members that Manjinder had been pushed off from a roof of some building and he had died.

Thereafter the family members went from pillar to post in a attempt to get Manjinders body back to India. It was only due to the efforts of local MP Avinash Rai Khanna that they were able to get the body back for the last rites.

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