Former Punjab CM Surjit Singh Barnala cremated with full state honours

Barnala (Punjab): Former Punjab chief minister Surjit Singh Barnala was on Sunday cremated with full state honours at his native village Barnala.

His son and ex-MLA Gaganjit Singh and grandson Samarpratap Singh jointly lit the pyre.

Once the bugle sounded, a pall of silence descended at the cremation ground before police personnel fired shots in air as a mark of respect to the departed leader.

Several people had gathered to pay homage and bid a tearful adieu to Barnala with many turning up at their residence here to pay their last respects to the leader.

Later, Barnala's body was taken to the cremation ground at his native village Barnala.

Barnala took over reins of the state in the difficult period when militancy was at its peak in the mid-80s. He died at Chandigarh at the age of 91.

Barnala, who served as chief minister from 1985 to 1987, was admitted to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh.

A moderate leader of the Akali Dal, he became chief minister after the Rajiv-Longowal accord to usher in peace in the troubled state was reached in the summer of 1985.

As Governor of Tamil Nadu, Barnala had famously refused to recommend dismissal of the DMK government in 1991 when the late Chandrashekhar was the Prime Minister for a short time.

When he was transferred to Bihar following his refusal, he chose to resign as Governor.

He had also served as Governor of Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Barnala was Agriculture Minister at the Centre in the Moraji Desai government and Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cabinet.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Punjab cabinet minister Tota Singh, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Delhi Naresh Yadav, Congress MLA Kewal Dhillon, Uttarakhand forest minister Dinesh Aggrawal, Punjab Haj Committee former chairman Aslaq Mohammad Khan.

Former Punjab chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal also visited the family of Barnala earlier in the day.