Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case: Hangman asked to maintain secrecy, be alert

New Delhi: The hangman who is expected to carry out the execution of the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder convicts has been asked by the jail authorities to maintain secrecy and be on alert. Pawan Kumar, the fourth-gen hangman from Meerut, on Saturday told IANS, "Now I won`t be talking much on mobile or to the media till the final orders on the execution of the Nirbhaya case convicts come."

"Till now, I was talking to the media about it. I always wished to carry out the hanging of the four convicts. Since the matter is quite sensitive and involves legalities and the Tihar jail administration has secretly contacted the Uttar Pradesh jail administration regarding the hangman, several restrictions have been imposed on me," said Kumar.

When asked who imposed these restrictions, Pawan said, "The officials of Meerut jail suggested to me not to talk to a lot of people. They have also asked me not to leave the city and take care of my health. They have asked me to be alert as orders (regarding carrying out the hanging of the convicts in the Nirbhaya case) from the state jail administration can come anytime."

When asked whether the Meerut jail authorities informed him about the hanging of the convicts, the hangman said, "No, they have not referred to the Nirbhaya case but as per the speculation doing the rounds in the media it seems that they want me to be on alert regarding the same matter."

"I don`t need any preparation time. I only need 45 minutes after reaching Tihar jail," said Pawan, adding that he is unaware about the news that the Tihar jail officials are getting the nooses from Buxar in Bihar.

Asked how can one hangman carry out the hanging of all the four convicts simultaneously, Pawan told IANS, "I will hang four nooses, then tie the hands and feet of all the four convicts, put the noose around their necks and as soon as the jailer will pass on the signal I will pull all the four levers at once. After half an hour or so I along with a doctor will check the bodies hanging in the chamber and once the doctor will confirm their deaths the lights of the chamber will be switched on. Then the jailer will file a report on it."