Jangveer Singh, Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 14. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal will meet Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh tomorrow and request him to urge the President to issue directions to stop the execution of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar.
They will make out a case for commuting Bhullar’s death penalty to life sentence in view of his “mental condition’ as well as certain ‘peculiarities’ in the case which they feel make it a unique case for consideration of clemency, say sources.
The leaders will present the report of doctors treating Bhullar, stating the latter is under depression.
Doctors treating the militant leader have claimed that they were not asked about his mental condition.
Bhullar has been categorised as a “patient who can attempt suicide any moment” by the medical team treating him.
The Akali leaders, who will not be joined by any BJP leader from Punjab, with the saffon party making it clear that it does not want to come in the way of execution of the death sentence, will stress on the ‘peculiarities’ in the case, said the CM’s media adviser, Harcharan Bains.
This includes the fact that the presiding judge in the case acquitted Bhullar on the charges presented against the militant and ruled that there was no evidence against him, except his own statement to the police taken under duress and which has been denied by him.
The leaders claim that the External Affairs Ministry had also advised that Bhullar should not be awarded the death penalty as it had given this assurance to the German Government upon his deportation from the country.
The Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister are likely to stress that nothing should be done that could threaten peace and harmony in Punjab. The Akali leaders are also likely to urge the PM that cases where justice is not seen to have been done should be treated differently.
‘Justice March’ on April 18
Ludhiana: About a dozen Panthic organisations, at a meeting in Gurdwara Jawaddi Taksal here, decided to hold “Justice March” on April 18 from Fatehgarh Sahib to Delhi and hand over a resolution to the President, with 75,000 signatures, pleading clemency for Bhullar. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Akali Dal (Amritsar), Akali Dal (Panch Pardhani), Akali Dal (1920), Akali Dal (Barnala), Sikh Students
Federation, Sant Samaj, Dal Khalsa, Khalsa Action Committteee, Sikh Chetna Mission, Youth Akali Dal and Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj. The Khalsa Action Committee has appealed to the Sikhs to unfurl the saffron flag atop their houses on April 18. (TNS)
Tension in native village
Bathinda: Tension gripped convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar’s native village Dayalpura Bhai-Ka after the police did not allow hardliner Baba Hardip Singh from coming out of his house to lead a protest march against the Supreme Court’s rejection of Bhullar’s plea to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment. The police was deployed in strength in the village to prevent any untoward incident.
However, a group of residents blocked the Barnala highway.They also organised a protest march. The residents did not allow the local authorities to hold a cultural programme in the village. They had boycotted Baisakhi celebrations on Saturday. (TNS)
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