Punjab Youth Dies While Attempting to Reach England by Sea; Family Awaits Repatriation of Body

A 29-year-old man from Bhogpur village in Jalandhar lost his life while attempting to reach England by sea. Arvinder Singh, who had been living in France for the past seven years, dreamt of settling in England.

In pursuit of his dream, he embarked on a perilous sea journey with around 80 other migrants, which tragically became his last.

According to Rajiv Cheema, manager of the NGO Order-Don, the boat was tube-shaped and capsized roughly 15 km into the crossing. Rescue teams arrived promptly, saving 77 people, but Arvinder and two other foreign youths drowned. His body was later recovered from a beach about 360 km from Paris.

The family received the news on October 2 from a youth in Chauhana village, Kapurthala, who had also been on the boat. He reported that while most passengers survived, Arvinder was missing. Since then, the family has been in deep distress.

Arvinder’s younger brother, Ashwinder Singh, said that he had gone to Portugal on a work permit visa on May 18, where he was legally employed and completed his biometric process on September 5.

However, after interacting with some peers, he decided to attempt a journey to England. After an unsuccessful attempt to travel by truck, he chose the dangerous sea route.

Despite repeated warnings from his family, Arvinder did not heed their advice. He last called home on September 29 but did not mention his plan to cross the sea. Two days later, the family was informed of the tragedy, sending shockwaves through the village.

In recent months, several youths from Punjab have lost their lives attempting illegal routes to Europe and England. Arvinder Singh’s death raises urgent questions about the risks young people continue to take to migrate illegally.

The family has appealed to the government for assistance in repatriating his body to India.