With state honours, Punjab salutes 114-year-old marathoner Fauja Singh on his final lap
governor Gulab Chand Kataria, chief minister Bhagwant Mann and political leaders across party lines attended the ceremony, alongside hundreds of admirers and local residents.
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Fauja Singh's body was placed in a glass casket earlier in the day, allowing family members and well-wishers to pay their final respects. It was later transported in a hearse to the village cremation ground, where a Punjab Police contingent offered a ceremonial gun salute. His sons, Sukhjinder Singh and Harbinder Singh, lit the pyre.
Kataria called Fauja Singh a global inspiration and recalled walking with him during an anti-drug campaign just months ago.
"His stamina and spirit were unmatched," he said.
Mann announced that the local govt school would be renamed in Fauja Singh's honour and his statue installed at both the village stadium and the sports college in Jalandhar. "He brought international recognition not only to Punjab but also to the Sikh community," Mann said.
The centenarian athlete, who gained worldwide fame for running marathons well past the age of 100, died on July 14 after being struck by a speeding vehicle on the national highway near Beas.
He was crossing the road to reach a roadside eatery named after his late son, Kuldeep Singh.
Police later arrested Amritpal Singh Dhillon, 26, of Dasupur village, on charges of culpable homicide and rash driving.
The incident has sparked renewed debate over
and hit-and-run incidents. "We lost a gem to a hit-and-run tragedy. The govt should implement stricter action and policies to address the growing menace of hit-and-run cases," said Congress MLA Pargat Singh.
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"Fauja Singh was more than a runner — an embodiment of Punjab's soul and the essence of Sikh values," he added.
Several MLAs – including Congress' Pargat Singh, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sukhwinder Singh Kotli, Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia, AAP's Balkar Singh, and senior SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema – along with former MLA Pawan Teenu, Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal, and Jalandhar range DIG Naveen Singla, placed wreaths at the pyre.
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