Done: Cops close Dhananjoy chapter

‘‘He is hanging,’’ came the reply.

The execution of Dhananjoy Chatterjee was carried out with clockwise precision at the Alipore Central Jail, amid unprecedented security and media frenzy. Dhananjoy kept his word, walking to the gallows without any resistance.

Outside the jail, for a moment, rape and murder slipped into the background. Facing the brunt of this mood swing were the media, government and even the judiciary. Many in the crowd said Dhananjoy was punished twice for one offence.

Inside the jail, bhajans continued through the night with jail doctor Basudev Mukherjee singing a couple of tunes on Dhananjoy’s request. After 3 am, he took a bath, before emerging in a new, white kurta and pyjama. He performed a brief puja before a photo of his father Bangshidhar Chatterjee, his prized possession. Having lit a few incense sticks, he uttered a few slokas from the Gita in his room. He handed them both to Dr Mukherjee, saying: ‘‘Sir, you please keep these.’’

With the minutes ticking by, Dhananjoy asked for some music again, this time: ‘‘Chalte chalte, kabhi alvida na kahena,’’ said to be one of his favourites. Everyone present at his cell joined in this time, including Dhananjoy.

At 4.15 am, he was escorted out by warders. Just before climbing the platform, he turned to Joydev Chakrabarty, IG (Prisons), stopped for a moment and said: ‘‘Sir, pardon me if I have done any wrong.’’ Chakrabarty replied: ‘‘Yes, you are paying for what you did.’’

He turned to Chakrabarty again, saying: ‘‘Sir, I am innocent. I am being hanged because I am poor…Sir, please tell the police to look after my family.” With these words, Dhananjoy virtually ran up the six steps to the gallows and put his hands behind his back to be tied with ropes.