The voice that fell silent

“Ishmeet was not an expert swimmer. So,there’s no question of him venturing into the swimming pool in the first place. Then,his body was fully clothed when taken out of the pool. There were injury marks,as if someone had punched him hard,on both his temples and a vertical injury mark on his forehead,” says Gurpinder Singh,father of Ishmeet. “The Voice of India organisers gave four different versions of how Ishmeet died. All this points to definite foul play involved in my son’s death,” he adds.

Eight months after the loss of a talented singer and a budding national heartthrob,Ishmeet Singh’s family is still waiting for a formal investigation into his death to begin. “Since Ishmeet died beyond Indian shores,the investigation had to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However,no action has been taken till date,though I’ve even approached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to expedite the enquiry,” says Singh.

In Pune to meet relatives and to tow away the brand new car which was reduced to a heap of mangled black metal (to the premises of the Ishmeet Singh Foundation in Mumbai),Singh said he’s hopeful that whosoever is behind Ishmeet’s death would soon be unmasked. “I have a definite idea of who is behind the incident. But my hands are tied since I don’t have concrete evidence. Nevertheless,I’m hopeful that justice will soon be done to us,” he asserts. “Ishmeet’s physical form may no longer be with us,but he lives on in our memories and in our hearts,through his voice,his simplicity and humility,” Singh adds wistfully.