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In a poignant display of courage and love, two sisters from Canada performed the last rites of their father, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Teerath Singh, at their ancestral Kaelpur village in Ludhiana district, breaking the long-held societal convention that sons alone perform a parent’s cremation. ASI Teerath Singh died in an accidental firing after his gun went off while cleaning at the official residence of deputy inspector general (DIG, Ludhiana Range) on October 14.
The late ASI’s only son, Baljot Singh alias Bobby, could not make it to India and paid his last respects through a video call arranged by relatives. On Friday, Jashanpreet Kaur, 23, and Kulveer Kaur, 19, — both residents of Surrey, Canada — carried their father’s bier on their shoulders and lit the funeral pyre. Their act moved everyone present and became a symbol of the changing time wherein daughters are no longer seen any less than sons.
As the two young women lifted their father’s bier from the house, the entire village was overcome with emotion. According to the police, ASI Teerath Singh (50) had been serving at the DIG office for the past five years. After his death, the police completed the legal formalities based on the statement of his wife Bhupinder Kaur. The post-mortem examination was conducted at the civil hospital.
Later, the mortal remains were brought to Kaelpur village where, under the supervision of DSP Gopal Kishan, police personnel presented a gun salute and the cremation was conducted with full state honours. Several villagers, relatives and local representatives, including sarpanch Harkewal Singh, numberdars Jagjit Singh and Harjeet Singh, were present
