‘For his mother’s sake, I am forgetting that wound’: Ravneet Singh Bittu on Hawara parole

“There should be no politics over the issue. I appeal to all political parties not to make it an issue. Let there be peace in the state. Their irresponsible statements can put the state on fire. I appeal to them to let this pass as a humanitarian episode and not instigate anger,” Bittu said.

He refuted reports and claims by the Quami Insaf Morcha and a few leaders that the Centre had offered Hawara parole for a day. “All these are false reports. If anyone is claiming that he will be given parole for a day or a few hours, then he doesn’t know anything. Let him get parole and meet his mother,” he said.

Hawara parole arrangement

The former minister added that the Centre was doing its job and arrangements were being made, while the security angle was also being looked into. “I want to appeal to the politicians that they should let them be. If they want Punjab to burn, then they can ignite the fires after the meeting,” Bittu said.

Bittu was referring to Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) leader Manpreet Singh Ayali, who had stated that the Centre was not allowing Hawara to come to his house and was even offering to airlift his mother to a hospital where Hawara could meet her.

On Wednesday, Pal Singh France, convener of the Quami Insaf Morcha, said Central agencies had been in touch with them.

“Earlier, they had said that his mother would be admitted to a hospital in Delhi. We refused, stating that his supporters would gather outside the hospital and patients would be inconvenienced. Then they offered that she would be shifted to PGIMER in Chandigarh. We refused. Now, they have offered us parole for one day. We will not accept it. We want him to be here for at least nine days. If they do not take a call, we will gherao the Punjab Lok Bhawan on Independence Day,” he had said.

Hawara is serving a life sentence for his role in the conspiracy to assassinate then Punjab CM Beant Singh, who was killed in a suicide bombing outside the state Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh in 1995.

Last month, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the authorities at Delhi’s Mandoli prison, where Hawara is lodged, to decide his parole plea within a time-bound period after obtaining recommendations from the Chandigarh Administration.