NRI Amritpal Singh Dhillon detained for fatal hit-and-run case; had Dhillon stopped to help, Fauja Singh may have been saved
The saddest part is, the man who lived healthy for 114 summers, faced countless tumultuous moments in life and survived a global pandemic like COVID-19 and many other difficult situations died in a hit-and-run on roads he loved running.
Fauja Singh, the world’s oldest marathon runner and British Sikh athlete of Indian origin, passed away after being hit by an unidentified speeding vehicle in his native village in Punjab on Monday.
He was 114 years old.
Canada-based Amritpal Singh Dhillon has been arrested for allegedly running over Fauja Singh. Apparently, Dhillon told the police that he did not he had know he hit the victim and news.
Fauja Singh was badly injured, conscious and rushed to a hospital but it was too late. According to the FIR the vehicle was speeding and the driver fled without offering any assistance. Maybe if he had stopped and taken Fauja Singh to the hospital immediately, the legend may still have been alive.
The British-Indian national was crossing a road in the village where he was born in Punjab when he was hit by the vehicle.
According to reports, he was walking across the Jalandhar-Pathankot national highway towards Kuldeep Dhaba—an eatery named in memory of his son Kuldeep who died in 1994.
Those who knew him well say Fauja Singh’s end was quite similar to his son who too lost life in a road accident. That loss broke Fauja but running helped him heal. In fact, his final steps were toward the place he had built to remember his son. Still very alert, Fauja Singh was a big attraction there with visitors posing for selfies.
Fauja Singh started running at the age of 89.
Who is Amritpal Dhillon
According to police, Dhillon was detained on Tuesday night from a village in Jalandhar district.
Multiple teams of the police zeroed in on Dhillon after his car was identified using CCTV footage.
Some parts of the car were also found from the crime scene, which when shown to experts were identified as belonging to an old model of a Toyota Fortuner
Dhillon was apprehended at his Kartarpur home.
The vehicle, a Punjab-registered Toyota Fortuner, was also seized.
Dhillon told police he was returning from Bhogpur when the accident occurred.
Remembering the global icon
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation to condole the passing of the legendary marathon runner.
“Fauja Singh Ji was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness. He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world,” he said in a social media post
The Punjab government and Assembly also paid him heartfelt tributes. Parliamentary affairs minister Ravjot Singh moved a condolence motion, praising the global icon for bringing immense pride to the Sikh community through his marathon achievements.
Fauja Singh started running at 89 and completed nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013, according to reports.
In a 2013 interview he said that soon after his 101st birthday, he ran the London Marathon in seven hours and 49 minutes.
“I’ve completed eight other marathons in the past 12 years, including the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, which I ran when I was 100 years old.
“How do I do it? Simple, firstly, I eat only vegetarian foods; I am told that vegetarians tend to live an average of six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters do. I also walk or jog every day. Age may bring wisdom, but if you want stamina, endurance and a lifetime of good health, turn to nutritious vegetarian foods,” Fauja Singh was quoted as saying
