Milkha Singh to be given state funeral, one day of mourning in Punjab: Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh
Legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh passed away on Friday aged 91 due to Covid-19 complications. He had lost his wife to the virus earlier this month.
In Short
- Punjab CM Amrinder Singh said a day's state mourning will be observed for Milkha Singh
- Milkha Singh died on Friday aged 91 due to Covid-19 complications
- Milkha had lost his wife Nirmal Kaur to Covid-19 earlier this month
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Sinigh on Saturday said legendary athlete Milkha Singh will be given a state funeral and that Punjab will observe a state mourning for a day. The 3-time Olympian died on Friday aged 91 due to Covid-19 complications.
"Have directed that Late Milkha Singh Ji will be given a State Funeral by our Government. Also Punjab will observe one day of State mourning as a mark of respect to the departed legend," Amrinder Singh said in a social media post.
Milkha Singh had lost his wife and former India volleyball captain Nirmal Kaur to Covid-19 earlier this month. The Flying Sikh was admitted to hospital after contracting the virus on May 19.
The 4-time Asian Games gold medalist recovered well and was even discharged from the hospital last month. However, he was readmitted to the Covid-19 hospital PGIMER in Chandigarh. Milkha's condition deteriorated and his oxygen saturation level dipped before he passed away on Friday.
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju will be attending the funeral In Chandigarh and he confirmed that he would be taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to the family with him. Milkha Singh is survived by his golfer son Jeev Milkha Singh and three daughters.
In his stellar career, Milkha ran many memorable races in his career. The Flying Sikh, as he is popularly known, is best remembered for his 400m race at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, where he became the first Indian male to reach the final of an Olympic event.
Milkha was leading that race but eventually missed out on a podium-finish after trailing by 0.1 seconds. Despite finishing fourth, Singh set a new national record that remained untouched for 38 years. Paramjeet Singh broke it in 1998.
Tributes poured in for Milkha Singh with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling his demise a colossal loss for Indian sports. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat also sent his condolences, saying the Indian Army will be poud of Milkha's legacy. Milkha Singh took to athletics during his Army stint and went on to become one of India's finest athletes.