Political tremors on Tuesday rocked Punjab after the Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared in the Lok Sabha that “no pardon has been given” to Balwant Singh Rajoana, facing death sentence for assassinating Punjab’s then Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995.
Shah’s statement has led to a controversy of sorts as the reports of commutation of Rajoana’s death sentence has been doing the rounds ever since the Centre had announced to grant special remission to eight Sikh prisoners besides commuting death sentence of “one Sikh prisoner” on September 30 on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary.
The reports, at numerous times, had been confirmed by the Union Home Ministry spokesperson. Even the representatives of the Punjab Government and Chandigarh UT Administration have also confirmed receiving “orders” regarding the same. In fact, the UT Administration has also written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs seeking clarity on the letter.
If that was not enough! BJP’s ally, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), had also issued congratulatory and welcoming statements on the Centre’s decision to commute Rajoana’s death sentence into life.
But, with the Union Home Minister rubbishing “media reports” and denying clemency to Rajoana, a controversy has erupted in Punjab.
Upset over the development, Akali Dal has announced to meet Shah to seek reprieve to “Bhai Rajoana”. At the same time, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), terming Shah’s statement as “a grave injustice meted out to Sikh community”, declared to approach the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to appeal to reverse decision and give due reprieve to Bhai Rajoana.
Shah’s statement came during the question hour in the Lok Sabha.. “Please, don't go by media reports. Koi maafi nahi ki gayi (no pardon has been given),” said Shah when Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu asked as to why the Centre had commuted Rajoana’s death sentence. Bittu is Beant Singh’s grandson.
Rajoana was facing gallows in the case of assassination of Chief Minister Beant Singh and 17 others on August 31, 1995, outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat. Rajoana’s death sentence has, since long, been in a state of suspended animation as a plea seeking his mercy, filed by the SGPC in 2012, was lying pending with the President.
Escaping a death by a whisker, Rajoana was to be hanged on March 31, 2012. But the execution of his death warrants was stayed on March 28, 2012, on the clemency plea filed by the Sikh management body.
Even as the ‘condemned man’ wanted the death warrants to be executed and resisting any sort of clemency, the then SAD-BJP led Punjab Government, the SGPC, Sikh organizations and others left no stone unturned to secure life for him in 2012.
Rajoana and co-convict Jagtar Singh Hawara in the 1995 assassination case were initially sentenced to death by a Chandigarh court in July 2007. The death sentence in case of Hawara was modified to life imprisonment till death by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in October 2010.
Though the High Court gave Rajoana an opportunity of being heard, he refused to seek clemency, following which his death sentence was upheld.
Rajoana, who has all along been admitting for eliminating the then Chief Minister, always insisted on the execution of the death sentence.
In his official statement, Rajoana has stated, “I tied the bomb on the body of Bhai Sahib with my own hands and I do not regret my involvement in the murder. I am proud of the sacrifice made by him and I bow my head before him in respect.”
He was “second” human bomb in case Dilawar Singh — the human bomb — failed to complete the task.
SIKH COMMUNITY PAINED, ANGUISHED, WOULD MEET HM: SAD
SAD president Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement had caused pain and anguish to the Sikh community which was under the impression that the death sentence had been commuted to life on the eve of the 550th parkash purb celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.
“We all feel aggrieved today. We thought we had moved ahead when news statements appeared last month quoting home ministry officials as telling the death sentence of Bhai Rajoana had been commuted. However, today’s assertion has shocked everyone. There is a feeling of hurt that justice has not been done to the Sikh community and the spirit of the clemency which was espoused on the occasion of the 550th parkash purb has not been carried through,” said Sukhbir, whose wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal is Minister in the Union Cabinet.
Sukhbir said that the SAD stood for adopting a humanitarian approach in the case and had conveyed the same to the Union Government through various representations. “We feel this is a deserving case for clemency as Bhai Rajoana has spent more than 23 years in prison without parole. There is also the issue of inflamed sentiments due to repression let loose by the erstwhile Congress Government of Beant Singh during whose period thousands of innocent Sikh youth were killed as part of a State sponsored terror,” he said.
“Simultaneously, SAD is against the death penalty as a matter of principle and has also represented to the Union Government as well as the President on this issue, he added.
Stating that the SAD would continue its fight to ensure reprieve to Bhai Rajoana, he said that a high level delegation would meet the Union Minister soon and apprise him about the sentiments of the Sikh community and urge that Bhai Rajoana’s death sentence be commuted.
He said that this was also the sentiment of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha which had passed a unanimous resolution in this regard which had also been supported by Beant Singh’s grandson Gurkirat Singh Kotli.
“It appeared that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had played a double game on this issue which had also influenced the Centre’s decision. Punjab Government did not include the name of Bhai Rajoana in the list of names of Sikh detenues who had been incarcerated in jail even after the completion of their sentences,” he said adding that the Chief Minister should tell why he did not recommend Bhai Rajoana’s name for clemency.
GRAVE INJUSTICE METED OUT TO COMMUNITY, WOULD APPEAL TO PM, HM: SGPC
Terming the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on Bhai Rajoana sentence as a grave injustice meted out to Sikh community, SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal on Tuesday said that it would approach the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah to appeal to reverse decision and give due reprieve to Bhai Rajoana.
“It is shocking that the Union Government has gone back on its decision to commute the death sentence of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana…It is a grave injustice meted out to the Sikh community,” he said adding that Shah’s statement had come as a shocker for the Sikh community.
“There were reports in the media last month clearly stating that the Union Home Ministry had commuted the death sentence of Bhai Rajoana. These reports were taken at face value by the Sikh community because they were never contradicted by the Home Ministry. It is because of this reason that the statement of the Home Minister has shocked everyone. We feel this is against the avowed aim of finding closure to the festering wounds of the past and making a fresh start,” he said.
Making an appeal to the Home Minister to consider all the facts of the case and give a reprieve to Bhai Rajoana, he said that this was also in keeping with the sentiments of the Sikh community. “Even the Punjab Vidhan Sabha had passed a resolution unanimously to commute the death sentence into life imprisonment,” he said.
“SGPC would continue its fight to ensure the humane relief due to Bhai Rajoana was implemented in letter and spirit. We will approach the Home Minister and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure this unjust decision is reversed and due reprieve is granted to Bhai Rajoana,” he added.