Donation row splits 'spy' family

By Raveen Thukral in Amritsar

Dalbir Kaur admits the controversy may affect the campaign

The family of an alleged Indian spy on death row in Pakistan has been split apart by accusations of misuse of donations from well-wishers.

Manjit Singh was convicted of carrying out a series of bombings in 1990. His family say he is Sarabjit Singh - a victim of mistaken identity.

Singh's wife, Sukhpreet, has accused her sister-in-law Dalbir of pocketing a million rupees ($22,200) in donations.

Dalbir said all the money she received was being spent on Sarabjit's campaign.

'Threatened'

Most of India has united behind the "Save Sarabjit Campaign", including an intervention by premier Manmohan Singh, but the family itself is now polarised.

Sukhpreet's younger daughter, Poonam, has spoken out in support of her mother but elder daughter, Swapandeep, has backed Dalbir, who adopted her at birth.

Swapandeep Kaur with a photo of her father Sarabjit Singh

Swapandeep joined Dalbir at a news conference in Amritsar on Wednesday, accusing her biological mother of not taking the Save Sarabjit Campaign seriously.

Poonam, meanwhile, says she has been threatened by her sister.

The family live in Bhikiwind, 450km (290 miles) north-west of Delhi.

They agree that Sarabjit crossed accidentally into Pakistan in 1990 and is innocent.

But Pakistan's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence and correspondents say it is unclear whether anything short of President Pervez Musharraf's direct intervention can save his life.

The split in the Singh family exploded into the media on Wednesday, when Sukhpreet accused Dalbir, who has headed the freedom campaign, of "pocketing" donations worth one million rupees from NGOs and individuals in India and abroad.

She said that while she was being forced to live in penury, Dalbir was pursuing her political and personal ambitions under the guise of saving Sarabjit.

At her press conference in Amritsar, Dalbir said Sukhpreet had been "brainwashed" and forced by local Congress party leaders to make accusations against her.

Dalbir said these leaders were upset with her recent decision to join the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Dalbir strongly denied she had ever misappropriated any money.

"All the money that I have received is being spent on securing legal aid for my brother," Dalbir said.

However, she admitted the controversy was having a detrimental effect on securing Sarabjit's release.