Jail Superintendent refuses to hang Balwant Singh Rajoana

The superintendent of central jail in Patiala today refused to perform the duty of a hangman to hang Babbar Khalsa militant Balwant Singh Rajoana in the absence of a hangman.

Superintendent of Jails Rajan Kapur has conveyed his position to DGP jails Shashi Kant and has instead preferred to resign from his job rather than perform the duty of a hangman, official sources said here.

According to the jail manual, in the absence of a hangman the superintendent of jails has to perform the duty of a hangman.

Kapur, who was not available for comments, also told the DGP that he does not want to face the wrath of Sikhs in Punjab, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Patiala Central Jail authorities today sent back the death warrant of the Chandigarh Court pleading its inability to hang Rajoana as the case in which he has been awarded death sentence belongs to union territory Chandigarh.

As per the death warrant issued by additional session judge Chandigarh Court Shalini Nagpal, Rajoana who had confessed to his role in assassination of chief minister of Punjab Beant Singh is scheduled to be hanged on March 31.

The Patiala jail authorities in their letter have said that since the bomb blast that killed Beant Singh on August 31, 1995, had occurred in Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh and the trial of that case was also carried out in Chandigarh there was no point of hanging him in Patiala jail.

"Rajoana was in Patiala Central Jail since November 2010, because another case against him is pending in a Patiala court in which 12 kg of RDX was recovered from him in Patiala. So there was no point of hanging him in Patiala", informed Patiala Jail authorities on the condition of anonymity.

Rajoana was the back-up bomber in the bomb blast.

Meanwhile, Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh today held a meeting with Rajoana which lasted for more than half an hour in Patiala jail and urged him to re-think over filing an appeal against the death penalty awarded to him.

"But Rajoana is adamant on not filing an appeal. On Tuesday, all five jathedars of Takhts would carry a meeting in Amritsar in which the next decision over the issue would be taken up", said Gurbachan Singh.