The body of Sarabjit Singh, who died after a brutal attack by inmates in a Pakistani jail, was handed over to his family after the postmortem on Thursday night.
A contingent of Punjab Police led by SSP Tarn-Taran Raj Jeet Singh handed over Sarabjit's body to his family at Bhikhiwind village for a state funeral on Friday.
Earlier, Sarabjit's body was airlifted to his village and sent to government hospital at Patti where a team of six doctors of government-run Amritsar Medical College conducted the second postmortem.
The second postmortem was conducted as per his family's wish to "know the cause behind his death". The first autopsy was conducted at Pakistan's Jinnah Hospital where Sarabjit died.
Postmortem was also video recorded. Earlier in the day, the body of 49-year-old Sarabjit was brought from Lahore by a special Air India aircraft.
Sarabjit, the second Indian prisoner to die in Pakistan's notorious Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore this year, was brutally attacked on Friday last by six fellow inmates when he and other prisoners were brought out of their cells for a break.
Punjab government has announced a financial assistance of Rs.1 crore for the family of Sarabjit and declared a three-day state mourning.
Flags will fly half mast on all government buildings and there will be no official ceremonial functions during this period, an official spokesman said.
The Centre also announced ex-gratia payment of Rs.25 lakh for Sarabjit's family from Prime Minister's Relief Fund.
Leaders from the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress reached the Raja Sansi International Airport in Amritsar to receive Sarabjit's body.
Protests erupt in Punjab
Several protests also took place at different places in Punjab including Sarabjit's native village Bhikhiwind near Amritsar. The protesters at his native village burnt the effigies of the India and Pakistan government while schools also remained closed. The protesters were holding Sarabjit's pictures and they criticised the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for failing to save Sarabjit. They alleged that India watched like a mute spectator.
The protesters in Phagwara near Jalandhar demanded the cancellation of bus and train services to Pakistan.
A group of activists also staged a demonstration against Pakistan government on the national highway in Phagwara. The protests forced Sada-e-Sarhad - the Lahore-Delhi international bus - divert the route from the national highway. The Delhi-Lahore bus was also diverted in wake of the protests. These protests were staged by the Hindu Shiv Sena activists.
Sarabjit was sentenced to death for alleged involvement in four bomb attacks in 1990 in Multan killing 14 people. In 2008, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had stayed Singh's execution following the intervention of the human rights activists and appeals by his sister Dalbir Kaur. His fresh plea for mercy is pending before the President of Pakistan.
- with PTI inputs