By Pardeep Luthra,Gurdaspur Sep 12 :- There was not less than a festival in the house of Balraj Singh , a resident of Gokhuwal village near here, whose son Arvinder Singh was acquitted along with 16 other Indian youth by an UAE court in Dubai today. As soon as the news of acquaintance of 17 Indian youth who were on death row on the charge of murder of a Pak national Mishri Khan , reached in village, the people started gathering in his house to extend their wishes to him. They were offered sweet also.The Sharjah court today acquitted all 17 Indian youth who were lodged in the Jail on the murder charge for the last three years 17 Indian youth on a death row in the United Arab Emirate for the death of a Pakistani national. The members of the Indian community in Dubai deposited “blood money” in a court in Sharjah to secure a pardon for them.
Community representatives, led by Dubai hotelier S.P. Singh Oberoi, deposited 3.4 million dirhams (Rs.40.8 million/Rs.4 crore) with the Sharjah court in the presence of Mohammed Ramzan, a representative of victim Misri Khan’s family.
Balraj Singh said that his son Arvinder Singh went to UAE in 2007 and he was implicated in the false case as he was apprehended from the Airport when he was coming to India on leave. He thanked S.P.Oberoi, The union minister of state external affairs parneet Kaur, Captain Amrinder Singh and Balwant Singh Ramowalia, president of Lok Bhalai Party who had extended their help to secure the release of his son Arvinder Singh.
The 17 men, 16 from Punjab and one from Haryana, had been sentenced to death by a Shariat court in Sharjah March 2010. They were convicted of murdering Misri Khan, and injuring three others January 2009, following a fight over illegal liquor business.
A special prayer for thanks giving was organised in the village Gurudwara in which a large of his relatives and village collogues participated on the occasion.