Beant Singh assassination: Clashes in Punjab as Rajoana's hanging nears

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Chandigarh: Clashes have been reported from Patiala and some other regions of Punjab as tension escalates over the hanging of Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. Sikh groups have also taken out protest marches in Jammu in support of Rajoana, putting pressure on the Punjab government.

Security forces have been put on high alert across Punjab and 60,000 Punjab Police personnel along with 15 paramilitary companies have been deployed to maintain law and order. Section 144 banning assembly of five or more persons at a public place has been imposed in Chandigarh.

Markets and business establishments in several cities of Punjab are closed while supporters of Rajoana, who is scheduled to be hanged on March 31, in Amritsar are holding prayer meetings.

A day-long bandh call given by radical Sikh outfits and other social organisations to protest the scheduled execution of Rajoana has disrupted normal life across Punjab. Hardliners Dal Khalsa, Khalsa Action Committee, Khalra Mission organisations had urged the Sikh community to voluntarily shut down their business establishments and keep the day long bandh peaceful.

The Rajoana case has also forced the political parties in Punjab to take a stand on the issue with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal scheduled to meet President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday evening and appeal for clemency for the convict. While the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress have backed Rajoana seeking clemency for him, SAD key ally the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has maintained its anti-terrorism stand saying the law should take its course.

Badal insisted that no action should be taken until the High Court passed its final verdict on the case. "My plea to the President is that the case is still on and no action should be taken yet. The law of the land must be upheld," said Badal.

"This is not political issue. All avenues and legal options have to be exhausted. As per the law you cannot hang anyone till the procedures are complete. How can an execution happen when the clemency petition is pending with the President and a petition is in the court," said Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Union Law and Justice Minister Salman Khurshid said that Rajoana clemency issue would be dealt according to the law.

"The law is clear on petitions and reviews. Whatever decisions are taken, are taken keeping the law in mind. The rarest of rare is not defined," said Khurshid.

Meanwhile, Rajoana and his family have distanced themselves from the clemency plea.

"What my brother did was for Punjab. If the people want to protest against his hanging, they should do it peacefully," said Rajoana's sister.

His uncle also lauded him for killing Beant Singh. "What he did was right. If anyone should protest against the ruling of the court, it should be us, his family, not any other third person," said his uncle.

Patiala Jail Superintendent Lakhwinder Singh Jakhar, too, has remained defiant and refused to comply with order passed by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shalini Singh Nagpal for the execution to go ahead on Saturday. Jakhar is now facing contempt charges for ignoring the court's order.

The special CBI court had awarded death sentence to Rajoana and Jagtar Singh Hawara in the Beant Singh case on August one, 2007. Three others - Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmit Singh and Shamsher Singh - were sentenced to life imprisonment for hatching the conspiracy to kill Beant Singh.

The Chandigarh court had issued the death warrant to the Patiala jail authorities, asking them to hang Rajoana on March 31. Rajoana did not appeal against the judgement. The death penalty of Hawara, who filed an appeal against it, was commuted to life term.