CHANDIGARH: Legendary athlete Milkha Singh’s wife Nirmal Kaur passed away on Sunday after a prolonged battle against Covid-19.
She was 85 and is survived by her husband, one son and three daughters.
She was cremated here on Sunday evening, even as four-time Asian Games gold medallist husband continued to battle the deadly virus at the Intensive Care Unit of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) hospital.
Kaur, a former Indian women’s volleyball team captain, was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mohali on May 26 with Covid pneumonia, a couple of days after her husband was admitted to the same hospital.
However, four days later, she was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital due to increasing oxygen requirement, and continued to be under critical medical care before breathing her last on Sunday.
“We are deeply saddened to inform you that Mrs Nirmal Milkha Singh passed away after a valiant battle against COVID at 4 PM today,” read a statement from the family.
“A backbone of the Milkha Family, she was 85 years old.
It is tragic that the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh ji could not attend the cremation which was conducted this evening itself as he is still in the ICU (of PGIMER in Chandigarh) himself.” “The family has expressed its grateful thanks to everyone for their solidarity and prayers right through the battle which gave them the strength to face it bravely,” a family spokesperson added.
Born on October 10, 1936 in Sheikhupura (now in Punjab province of Pakistan), Kaur served as Director of Sports for Women in the Punjab government.
As joint director of the sports department, Kaur is mainly credited for her contribution in modernization of the sports infrastructure across the state as well as in Chandigarh.