Chandigarh: The driver of the SUV that ran over and killed Fauja Singh, the world's oldest marathoner, has been arrested, a senior police official said on Wednesday. According to the official, Amritpal Singh Dhillon (26), a resident of Dasupur in Kartarpur in Jalandhar district, was arrested on Tuesday night, and his vehicle has also been seized. He was driving from Bhogpur to Kishahgarh on Monday when he allegedly hit Singh (114) on the highway in the veteran runner's native village of Bias in Punjab's Jalandhar district.
The marathon runner was walking down the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway when the incident occurred, and he succumbed to injuries on Monday evening. According to villagers, Singh was tossed 5-7 feet in the air after being hit by the vehicle. Sources said the accused's family lives abroad and had he returned to his native place recently. However, an official said that the accused was being questioned and more details would come out soon. Following the incident, an FIR was registered against the driver under sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said. A police official on Tuesday evening said the vehicle, which fatally hit Fauja Singh, has been identified and its driver would be arrested soon. Senior Superintendent of Police, Jalandhar Rural, Harvinder Singh, told media reporters on Tuesday that they identified the vehicle, a Punjab-registered Toyota Fortuner, from CCTV footage and with fragments of the vehicle's headlight recovered from the accident spot. "The vehicle's owners have changed more than once (probably resale)," he said over the phone.
Leaders cutting across party lines condoled the marathoner's death, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on fitness. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said the veteran marathon runner made the Sikh community around the world proud with his long-distance running. His Haryana counterpart, Nayab Singh Saini, said the news of Fauza Singh's demise was deeply saddening. The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday paid tributes to Fauja Singh. On the concluding day of the special session of the assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ravjot Singh moved a proposal for paying tributes to Singh in the House. The widely-admired 114-year-old's career as a marathon runner began when he was 89 and propelled him to the status of a global icon, gaining the nickname "Turbaned Tornado" for his endurance and athleticism. Born in 1911 into a family of farmers, Fauja Singh was the youngest of four siblings. He became the first centenarian to complete a marathon, earning multiple records while participating in international events. He went on to run marathons, including the famed ones in London, New York and Hong Kong, and inspire awe for clocking some brilliant timings for a 90-plus man born with weak legs. Among the most memorable of his runs was in 2011 when he turned 100. The invitational meet in Toronto was named in his honour, and he broke several world records for his age group. The frail man, who weathered many personal storms with his resilience and "nonchalance", had spent a better part of his running career in Britain and returned to his roots just about three years ago after retiring. Last year, Singh, in a symbolic gesture, joined Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in a walkathon to spread awareness against drug abuse.