Three-year-old Gurshan Singh cremated in Punjab

Kotkapura (Punjab), Mar 15(ANI): Three-year-old Gurshan Singh, who was found dead near Australia's Melbourne airport on March 4, was cremated in his native village in Punjab's Faridkot district on Monday.

Gurshan's body was brought back from Australia by his father Harjit Singh Channa and mother Harpreet Kaur Channa on Sunday, and was later taken to Kotkapura for cremation.

A memorial service was held for the boy at his ancestral home after which the body was taken through the town in a funeral procession.

Gurshan's body was placed on top of a funeral pyre, which was then lit by his father Harjit Singh, as per Sikh tradition.

Apart from the family members including Gurshan's mother Harpreet Kaur Channa and grandmother, Gurdev Kaur, relatives and friends of the family, politicians and senior officers of district administration were present during his last rites.

Gurshan went missing on March 4 from a house in Lalor, where the family was staying.

His body was later found near Melbourne Airport, about 30 kilometers from where the toddler disappeared.

Dhillon, a 23-year-old acquaintance who shared the home with Gurshan"s parents and others, has been charged with manslaughter by criminal negligence.

Police have successfully opposed bail, claiming that the taxi driver was a flight risk.

Dhillon, who has a wife in Australia and a daughter in India, made a brief appearance in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on last Tuesday and was remanded in custody to appear for a committal hearing on June 29.

According to the police, Dhillon placed the unconscious boy in the boot of his car, drove him around for at least three hours and dumped him at Oaklands Junction without checking to see if he as still alive. (ANI)