Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Is life of an Indian cheap?' that was published in Newsband

Is life of an Indian cheap?

Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail proved to be a hell for Sarabjit Singh. He was in judicial custody over there. Since he was an Indian in a Pakistani jail, naturally there was threat to his life. The Pakistani jail officials should have taken extra precautionary measures in his case.

Was Sarabjit Singh made a target to avenge the hanging of Ajmal Kasab and later of Afzal Guru? According to the reports, Sarabjit Singh was assaulted by two other inmates with bricks, rods, and sharp-edged utensils during his daily walk in the jail compound. The intention was obviously to kill him.

Earlier, another Indian prisoner, Chamel Singh, was brutally murdered in Kot Lakhpat. Had the jail authorities taken stern action against his murderers then nobody would dare to touch Sarabjit Singh.

Sarabjit was convicted for carrying out four bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990 that killed 14 people and left 80 wounded. He protested that he was a victim of mistaken identity. But his protests were ignored.

The Pakistani prisoners in India and Indian prisoners in Pakistan, most of them are poor and marginal in their own countries. They are the pawns of the bigger players of the game. Yet it is these pawns who have to undergo shabby treatment while the big players go unhurt.

It is very necessary for both countries to start treating each other’s nationals lodged in their jails as human beings instead of pawns.

It was an organised cruelty perpetrated on Sarabjit Singh. It appears as if he was marked to be eliminated in such a way that his death would appear like an accident. This could have been simply to avoid any controversy. Immediate remedy the leaders of both the countries will have to work towards is to expedite the judgment on the cases associated with prisoners for a closure. A mutual agreement to complete and finalize cases that are decades old within the next one year, would be a great step forward towards mollifying the feelings of prisoners.

The attack on Sarabjit Singh appears to be a deep rooted conspiracy  hatched at the highest levels. Where did the inmates who attacked him get the iron rods and bricks from? Why he was not protected from the attack? Was it not the sacred duty to ensure his safety?

On behalf of the Governemnt of India, all that the PM did was he issued a statement. Is it because Sarabjit Singh was neither a VIP, nor a member of the royal first family? The entire Indian government should hang their heads in shame for the callousness and indifference they showed in the matter. They should learn as to how the other countries react when one of their citizens is dealt with in a way Sarabjit was treated.

Has life in India become so cheap that our government has ceased to care for its citizens?