Jatehdar Akal Takht to visit Burail Jail in Chandigarh to baptise former CM's assasin

Soul_jyot · #1 (**permalink**) 06-Dec-2010, 06:06 AM

Jatehdar Akal Takht to visit Burail Jail in Chandigarh to baptize former CM's assassin

Punjab Newsline Network

Sunday, 05 December 2010

By Jagmohan Singh

AMRITSAR: High Priest Akal Takht (Highest Sikh Temporal Seat) Jatehdar Gyani Gurbachan Singh would visit Burail jail to baptise Babbar Khalsa terrorist Balwant Singh who is given capital punishment by local court for assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.

Gyani Gurbachan Singh while talking to PunjabNewsline Sunday said sister of Balwant Singh has recently came at Akal Takht carrying letter of his brother who wished to become baptized Sikh before he dies.

Jatehdar said that he had already directed the SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar to arrange his visit along with five other Sikh priests to make them enabled to arrange the ceremony inside the jail premises to make Balwant Singh baptized Sikh.

Quoting the contents of letter, Jatehdar said in a letter, Balwant Singh had expressed wish to die as an 'Amritdhari' Sikh. Balwant Singh is a Sikh by religion but was never baptized.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/india/33469-jatehdar-akal-takht-visit-burail-jail.html

Jatehdar said that to be Amritdari Sikh Balwant has to follow all the Sikh rituals strictly as he will not shave his beard and also would not trim his body hairs. Balewant will have to wear short sword around his body as per Sikh religious.

Beant Singh who had remained chief minister from 1992 to 1995 was assassinated by a human bomb, Dilawar Singh, at the high security zone of Punjab civil secretariat in Chandigarh August 31, 1995 outside his office amidst the presence of his personal security guards. Balwant Singh was part of the conspiracy to kill the former Chief Minister.

High Court of Punjab and Haryana this year in October had upheld the death sentence to Balwant Singh, who had not opposed the gallows awarded to him after a 11-year trial in a special court in Chandigarh in July 2007.

Whereas, Jagtar Singh Hawara belonging to militant outfit BKI (Babbar Khalsa International) was the mastermind of the assassination and Balwant Singh was the second human bomb to be used in case the first failed to kill Beant Singh.

Balwant Singh, during 11-year long trial had confessed that he alone was accountable for the killing of Beant Singh. He had even refused appeal in the high court against death penalty awarded to him by the trial court.

High Court while upholding his death penalty, had converted Hawara's death penalty to life imprisonment.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33469

source: http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/jatehdar-akal-takht-visit-burail-jail-chandigarh-baptise-former-cms-assasin/26730