'Sarabjit was not a terrorist, give him a martyr's farewell,' says family

New Delhi: The family of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner who succumbed to injuries after being brutally assaulted in a Lahore jail, has demanded that his body be handed over to them and he should be declared a "martyr".

The family has made a demand to the Union Home Ministry that Sarabjit's body be cremated with full state honours, Raj Kumar Verka, Vice Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes, told PTI.

They have also demanded that the Centre take full responsibility of the family, Mr Verka said.

The government will hold a meeting today to consider the demands of Sarabjit's family, he added.

Sarabjit's family, which had had gone to Pakistan on a 15-day visa on Sunday, two days after the assault, returned to India on Wednesday.

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His wife Sukhpreet Kaur, daughters Poonam and Swapandeep Kaur and sister Dalbir Kaur had crossed over into India from Lahore through land border.

Mr Verka said Sarabjit's family members, who are with him at his New Delhi residence, are in a state of shock after receiving the news of his death.

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He said he has forwarded the demands to the Union Home Ministry and is in touch with the Central leaders, including Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde himself.