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India After Afzhal Guru, Bhai Rajoana?

Kanwaljit.Singh

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Jan 29, 2011
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After Afzal Guru's hanging, focus now on Rajoana

With the hanging of Afzal Guru on Saturday, the focus is now on Balwant Singh Rajoana, sentenced to death in the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh.

CHANDIGARH: With the hanging of Afzal Guru on Saturday, the focus is now on Balwant Singh Rajoana, sentenced to death in the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh. The Akalis had virtually pulled Rajoana out of the jaws of death when Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and his son and SAD president Sukhbir Badal had pleaded with the then President to defer the hanging, just two days before he was to be executed on March 31 last year. Rajoana had, however, refused to challenge the death sentence.

On Saturday, as the BJP upped its attack on the UPA for the "delay in hanging Guru," its ally, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), maintained silence. Both the Badals and the SAD spokesperson avoided queries from TOI on their stand regarding Rajoana.

The Congress, meanwhile, accused the BJP of "doublespeak" and dared SAD to clarify its stand on Rajoana. This Babbar Khalsa International terrorist who conspired to kill Beant Singh was awarded the death sentence by a CBI special court in July 2007 along with another terrorist, Jagtar Singh Hawara. The Punjab and Haryana high court had in October 2010 upheld Rajoana's death sentence, while changing the capital punishment meted out to Hawara to life imprisonment.

While Sukhbir Badal, who is also deputy CM, parried queries from TOI, Gagandeep Brar, special principal secretary to the CM said that he was indisposed and would not be able to comment. However, the CM did find time to meet a 21-member delegation from Iowa, US, on Saturday morning.

The Punjab Congress attacked the BJP, saying that its ally, SAD, was only trying to put roadblocks to a legal and constitutional process. "Rajoana should be meted out the justice due to him. The central government only agreed to have a look at his appeal but law must take its course. While sharing the stage at a function in Punjab, I had asked LK Advani the question on double standards. He refused to answer then as well," said Sunil Jakhar, leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly.

Other Congress leaders also attacked the BJP, saying it was during its rule that Parliament was attacked and that they were using a different yardstick for the assassination of Beant Singh who was a Congress CM.

Beant Singh was largely credited with wiping out terrorism from Punjab by dealing with terrorists with an iron hand along with supercop KPS Gill. He was assassinated by a human bomb, Dilawar Singh, at the high security Punjab civil secretariat here August 31, 1995. While Hawara was the mastermind of the assassination, Rajoana was the second human bomb to be used in case the first one failed.

There is also another militant, Devinder Pal Bhullar, who is on death row. He was found guilty of killing nine bystanders in a 1993 car bombing which was intended to kill Maninderjeet Singh Bitta, chairman of the All India Anti-Terrorist Front, and sentenced to death. He is also a suspect in two other terrorist attacks. His appeal against the conviction was dismissed by the Supreme Court on December 27, 2006, and his plea for clemency was rejected by President Pratibha Patil in May 2011.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...focus-now-on-Rajoana/articleshow/18424358.cms
 

spnadmin

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kanwaljit singh ji

This article gives a perfect example of why some of us believe the recent Delhit Gurdwara Management Committee elections were aimed at manipulating emotions resulting from 1984 and a proxy fight between Congress (UAP) and BJP for upcoming Lokh Sabha elections.

The Badal/SAD combine is affiliated with BJP. Yet we read:

the focus is now on Balwant Singh Rajoana, sentenced to death in the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh. The Akalis had virtually pulled Rajoana out of the jaws of death when Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and his son and SAD president Sukhbir Badal had pleaded with the then President to defer the hanging, just two days before he was to be executed on March 31 last year.


BJP is asking for the hanging of the "Guru". just as the Badal/SAD combine (affiliated with BJP in Punjab) clams up on the question of Rajoana. Now with the election in Delhi over, and the Badal/SAD combine firmly in control, Rajoana's fate starts to look like a political football.

Both the Badals and the SAD spokesperson avoided queries from TOI on their stand regarding Rajoana.
Please see other examples of avoiding questions in following paragraphs.

I don't know how they get away with this in the electorate! But don't think my comments to be a thumbs up for the Sarnas either.
 
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spnadmin

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A quick note: According to Amnesty International Afzal Guru was hung in secret, family not notified beforehand, body not released to family for religious rites.
 

spnadmin

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I am with you on the message. But not exactly with Mr. Guru. The ending of the saga imho throws a shadow over the beginning of the story. Due process is fundamental to rule of law, or we have nothing but lawlessness. It is worrisome when Amnesty International takes up a case and gives so grim a report. Then one has to wonder one's way through a fog. That I do not like.
 

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