Rajoana’s sister after SC order: It’s injustice to keep mercy plea decision pending

“It is really sad that a decision on the mercy plea has not been taken for the past 11 years. In November 2019, the central government commuted the death sentence to a life term on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. It had ordered the release of a few Sikh prisoners and they were released as well. So why this inordinate delay for Veerji Rajoana?” she said.

Then chief minister of Punjab, Beant Singh was killed along with 17 others in a bomb blast outside the mini-secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. Rajoana, a former police constable, was a “backup” human bomb while Dilawar Singh Jaisinghwala was the human bomb enlisted to kill the chief minister. Rajoana was arrested and jailed in the case in 1995.

Rajoana was handed the death penalty in July 2007. He was to be hanged on March 31, 2012, but a mercy plea was filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) before President Pratibha Patil on March 28, 2012. “She forwarded the mercy plea to the home ministry and since then the file has been with the ministry,” the convict’s sister said.

SAD alleges AAP-BJP understanding

The Shiromani Akali Dal has for long demanded the release of Sikh militants who have completed their jail terms. In the June 2022 Sangrur bypoll, this was the Opposition party’s main plank and it fielded Kamaldip Kaur as its candidate. However, she came fifth and lost her security deposit.

SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann defeated the AAP’s Gurmail Singh Ghrachon by over 5,300 votes while the Congress got the third spot, followed by the BJP.

The SAD has continued the campaign for the release of “bandi Singhs” and the SGPC launched a signature campaign in support of the demand. Over 25 lakh people signed the petition.

The SGPC had to hand over the filled pro formas to Governor Banwari Lal Purohit on April 27 but with the death of SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal on April 25, the matter has been delayed further.

Kamaldip said that Rajoana moved the apex court in October 2020 after the Centre’s November 2019 order commuting the death sentence was not implemented.

The SAD has accused the BJP of double standards after the central government made a U-turn on the matter in the Supreme Court. It has also alleged a tactical understanding between the BJP and the AAP to prevent Rajoana’s release.

SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said in a statement, “The central government has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. It first undertook to commute the death sentence of Bhai Rajoana to a life term in 2019 in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev-ji and then went back on its word by refusing to decide on the mercy petition filed on Bhai Rajoana’s behalf by the SGPC in March 2012. This has caused untold pain to Nanak Naam Leva Sangat worldwide.”

Asking the BJP to clarify its stand, Majithia said former state BJP in charge Gajendra Shekhawat had signed a form seeking Rajoana’s release while paying obeisance at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. “However, the same party is coming in the way of his release, which is also an insult to the holy Takht,” he said.

Majithia said the minority Sikh community was already feeling discriminated against after the release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, but the manner in which the Centre tried to link the plea for Rajoana’s release with national security had hurt it even further.

“Sikhs have made the most sacrifices for the country’s freedom and even now are guarding the nation’s border. The community feels that Bhai Rajoana’s release will help the process of reconciliation and that the Centre should respect this sentiment instead of opposing it,” he said.

Majithia said the community felt the Centre would fulfil the solemn commitment made in 2019 when it announced that Rajoana’s death sentence would be commuted and that eight other Sikh convicts who had completed nearly twice the terms of their life sentences would also be released.

“Sadly this commitment was not fulfilled and the human rights of all ‘bandi Singhs’, including Bhai Rajoana, are being violated,” the SAD leader added.

Elaborating on his allegation of an understanding between the BJP and the AAP on the release of “bandi Singhs”, Majithia said the AAP government in Delhi had also adopted the same stance as the BJP and was withholding the release of Devenderpal Singh Bhullar, convicted over a 1993 Delhi bomb blast that left nine people dead, for more than a year now.

“Like in the case of the Centre, the AAP government in Delhi is sitting over the release order for Prof Bhullar with the matter not being decided despite repeated meetings of the Sentence Review Board,” he said.

The Qaumi Insaaf Morcha’s dharna demanding the release of “bandi Singhs”, which was started on January 7, is going on at the Mohali-Chandigarh border. It was started by Gurcharan Singh Hawara, father of Jagtar Singh Hawara, a conspirator in the Beant Singh assassination case who is lodged in Tihar Jail now.

Political parties such as the SAD (Amritsar) and United Akali Dal have supported the dharna. Gurdeep Singh Bathinda, general secretary of the United Akali Dal, said, “The Supreme Court’s decision will be fought back. We are sitting for a cause here since January 7. This shows how indifferently such issues are being looked at. The Qaumi Insaaf Morcha will continue to fight for the release of bandi Singhs.”