Body of youth murdered in Manila 18 days ago arrives in Jalandhar

The body of 25-year-old Jasmeet Singh, a financer from local Daulatpura locality, arrived here at 8 am on Friday. Jasmeet was murdered in Manila 18 days ago on August 3. The body was later cremated at Kishanpura cremation ground amid the presence of local administration, police officials and local BJP leaders.

The body of 25-year-old Jasmeet Singh, a financer from local Daulatpura locality, arrived here at 8 am on Friday. Jasmeet was murdered in Manila 18 days ago on August 3.

22-year-old Jasmeet Singh was studying hotel management at De La Salle University in Manila and taking care of his father's business. HT Photo

The body was later cremated at Kishanpura cremation ground amid the presence of local administration, police officials and local BJP leaders.

A pall of gloom descended on the Daulatpura locality of Jalandhar after the body was brought to Jasmeet's house near the railway station.

Sub-divisional magistrate-II Varinder Pal Singh Bajwa, additional deputy commissioner of police-1 Paramjeet Singh, RSS leaders Vijay Gulati, Varinder Joshi, BJP leaders Kishan Lal Sharma, Ashok Sareen were present there.

Jasmeet's family thanked the external affairs ministry and Khalsa Diwan Gurdwara of Manila, a Sikh temple there, for sending the body from Manila to Jalandhar, as the family had shown inability to pay huge expenses required to airlift the body.

The family with the help of BJP leaders had contacted the external affairs ministry and the Indian Embassy in the Philippines immediately after the incident.

Jasmeet was shot dead on August 3 night when he was going to a market in Manila city. Four months back, his father Jaswant Singh, 49, a financier, was also attacked by assailants in Manila. Jaswant has been in coma since the attack on him by an unidentified person four months ago.

Jasmeet, who was studying hotel management at De La Salle University in Manila, had been taking care of his father's money-lending business.
He was in Manila since May 12, 2012, while his father had been working there as a financier since the last 15 years.

Speaking to HT, Pardeep Kaur, 47, said the family would never be able to repay the act of kindness by the Indian government in bringing the body of her son here. She said the ministry has also assured to make arrangements to airlift Jaswant Singh, who is in the coma, to Jalandhar within this week.