Amritsar: Akal Takht on Friday suggested that
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal should meet
President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to
avert the hanging of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a co-accused in
the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
The highest Sikh body also directed SGPC president Avtar
Singh Makkar to meet the Prime Minister in order to save
Rajoana, who is to be hanged this month.
Chandigarh Additional Sessions Judge had on March 5
ordered the death of Balwant Singh by execution on March 31.
Akal Takht head priest Gurbachan Singh met more than 250
Sikh political and religious groups before announcing the
decision.
Jathedar said, "In various nations the practice of death
sentences has been discontinued and India should also follow
the same suit."
Beant Singh was assassinated on August 31, 1995 in
Chandigarh by militant outfit Babbar Khalsa. Jagtar Singh
Hawara and Balwant Singh Rajoana were arrested and awarded
death sentence by special court of the CBI.
While commuting the death sentence of Hawara into life,
high court, however, upheld the death sentence to Balwant
Singh.
PTI
