India demands justice as 'spy' dies in Pakistan

India demands justice as 'spy' dies in Pakistan

An Indian man on death row in Pakistan for spying died on Thursday nearly a week after he was attacked by fellow prisoners, who were swiftly charged with murder as New Delhi demanded justice.

Indian students pay tribute to Sarabjit Singh at a school in Amritsar on May 2, 2013. Singh, An Indian man on death row in Pakistan for spying, has died nearly a week after he was attacked by fellow prisoners, who were swiftly charged with murder.

Sarabjit Singh, who was sentenced 16 years ago over deadly bombings, died in the early hours as a result of the savage assault in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, a senior doctor at Jinnah hospital in the eastern city told AFP.

The 49-year-old went into a coma after suffering numerous serious injuries when six prisoners attacked him on April 26, hitting him on the head with bricks and fracturing his skull.

An Indian aircraft flew in with Singh's body from Pakistan to the northern Indian city of Amritsar and it was sent by helicopter to his home village of Bikhiwind, city administrator Rajat Aggarwal said.

Singh's body would be handed over to his relatives for cremation after an autopsy by government doctors, Aggarwal said.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin had earlier said it was "our primary focus" to ensure that Singh's body was returned to India and given a proper burial. He denied that Singh was an Indian spy.

There was quick anger in India over his death, with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh writing on his official Twitter page: "The criminals responsible for the barbaric and murderous attack on Sarabjit Singh must be brought to justice."

Pakistan flags were burned at angry protests in Sarabjit Singh's native Bhikhiwind village, in northern Punjab state.

India complained that its diplomats were denied access to the prisoner as he fought for his life, and the premier said it was "particularly regrettable" that Pakistan had not responded to appeals "to take a humanitarian view of this case".

Pakistan insists regular consular access was granted to Singh and said doctors did everything possible to save him before his death from cardiac arrest.

"The prisoner, who had been in a comatose state and on a ventilator for the last few days, was being provided the best treatment available and the medical staff at Jinnah Hospital had been working round the clock... to save his life," the foreign ministry said.

The government provided "all assistance" to Singh's family and the Indian authorities, it added in a statement, and said his body would be handed over "at the earliest possible" time.

Singh's lawyer Owais Sheikh said his body had been moved to the hospital mortuary. The doctor said arrangements were under way for an autopsy.

Two prisoners were taken into custody immediately after the attack and have now been charged with his murder, police official Tariq Mehmood told AFP.

The motive was unclear, but Pakistani police say an initial investigation pointed to an exchange of "hot words" with Singh.

Sheikh said his client had received threats following the execution of Kashmiri separatist Mohammed Afzal Guru in India.

Pakistani analysts doubted the death would have a significant impact on tense relations between New Delhi and Islamabad, nuclear-armed neighbours.

"It may increase tension for a while as the hawks in India could put pressure on the Indian Congress (ruling party) to criticise Pakistan for lack of security," retired lieutenant general Talat Masood told AFP.

But Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters in Delhi that the India-Pakistan relationship had been hurt by this "terrible tragedy".

Parliament's lower house was adjourned in uproar on Thursday as Speaker Meira Kumar moved a resolution condemning the "inhuman treatment" of Singh.

Singh was convicted for his alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks in Pakistan's Punjab province that killed 14 people in 1990. His mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and former president Pervez Musharraf.

His family insisted he was a farmer who became a victim of mistaken identity after inadvertently straying across the border while drunk.

Singh's wife, two daughters and a sister have returned to India after travelling to Lahore on Tuesday, according to the Press Trust of India.

The family were consoled in a meeting in Delhi with Rahul Gandhi, vice-president of the ruling Congress party.

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