Campaign
against death penalty launched
'Death Penalty is a hate crime'
On the second consecutive day, party activists led by Sarbjit Singh Ghuman camped at historic Gurdwara Baba Bakala ( 40 kms from Amritsar) to highlight the case of Prof Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar. Around 870 people signed the petition urging the President to do away the capital punishment from the Indian statute and sought clemency for Prof Bhullar. Others who were present include Sukhdev Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Dr Kulwant Singh, Shivcharan Singh, Resham Singh, Daljit Singh.
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Saturday October 10th, 2009
The organization under the aegis of Khalsa Action Committee launched a
Signature campaign against the death penalty to mark the occasion of World
Day against the Death Penalty.
Party activists camped at the entrance gate of Darbar Sahib for 3 hours to draw people’s attention and create awareness against the death penalty.
Signatories kept on pouring till late afternoon to sign the form addressed
to the President of India, appealing to abolish the death penalty in Indian
in general and commuting of death sentence of Prof Devinder Pal Singh
Bhullar, who is on death row in particular.
Seeking conversion of his death sentence to life imprisonment, the petition signed by nearly 1747 men and women from all walks of society urged the President to view the case of Devender Pal Singh Bhullar with a sympathetic consideration.
The petition pointed out that Prof Bhullar deserves a compassionate approach because the judgment against him was a travesty of norms of criminal jurisprudence as the presiding judge has acquitted him and the ones who have convicted him have done so on the basis of a confession extracted under duress while he was in police custody.
Kanwarpal Singh, the organizer of the campaign said death penalty was an inhumane way to punish people. Government should come up with alternatives to death sentence, he added. He said although India has not carried out any execution for many years, yet this unwritten moratorium should be converted into complete abolishment from the Indian statute.
In principle, we reiterate our opposition to death penalty, he said and added that their groups favour commutation of death sentence to life imprisonment to one and all on humanitarian grounds. According to India's Home Minister P Chidambaram 26 petition were pending before President Pratibha Devisingh Patil for clemency.
It is pertinent to mention that 86 countries have abolished death penalty altogether, 11 countries have abolished capital punishment for ordinary crimes, 24 countries have not abolished from the statute, but have not carried out any execution for more than a decade.
However, India is one of the 76 countries that retain the provision of death penalty.
KAC chairman Bhai Mohkam Singh said in the 40 years rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, not a single person was sentenced to death, including the person who had made an attempt to kill the ruler. The compassionate philosophy of Sikhism and this historical legacy has been followed by all social, religious and political organizations and the land of Punjab has never sought death penalty for anyone.
Prominent amongst those who were present includes Bhai Narien Singh, Sarbjit Singh Ghuman, Baldev Singh Ajnala, Kuldeep Singh, Balwant Singh Gopala.
Party activists camped at the entrance gate of Darbar Sahib for 3 hours to draw people’s attention and create awareness against the death penalty.
Signatories kept on pouring till late afternoon to sign the form addressed
to the President of India, appealing to abolish the death penalty in Indian
in general and commuting of death sentence of Prof Devinder Pal Singh
Bhullar, who is on death row in particular. Seeking conversion of his death sentence to life imprisonment, the petition signed by nearly 1747 men and women from all walks of society urged the President to view the case of Devender Pal Singh Bhullar with a sympathetic consideration.
The petition pointed out that Prof Bhullar deserves a compassionate approach because the judgment against him was a travesty of norms of criminal jurisprudence as the presiding judge has acquitted him and the ones who have convicted him have done so on the basis of a confession extracted under duress while he was in police custody.
Kanwarpal Singh, the organizer of the campaign said death penalty was an inhumane way to punish people. Government should come up with alternatives to death sentence, he added. He said although India has not carried out any execution for many years, yet this unwritten moratorium should be converted into complete abolishment from the Indian statute.
In principle, we reiterate our opposition to death penalty, he said and added that their groups favour commutation of death sentence to life imprisonment to one and all on humanitarian grounds. According to India's Home Minister P Chidambaram 26 petition were pending before President Pratibha Devisingh Patil for clemency.
It is pertinent to mention that 86 countries have abolished death penalty altogether, 11 countries have abolished capital punishment for ordinary crimes, 24 countries have not abolished from the statute, but have not carried out any execution for more than a decade.
However, India is one of the 76 countries that retain the provision of death penalty.
KAC chairman Bhai Mohkam Singh said in the 40 years rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, not a single person was sentenced to death, including the person who had made an attempt to kill the ruler. The compassionate philosophy of Sikhism and this historical legacy has been followed by all social, religious and political organizations and the land of Punjab has never sought death penalty for anyone.
Prominent amongst those who were present includes Bhai Narien Singh, Sarbjit Singh Ghuman, Baldev Singh Ajnala, Kuldeep Singh, Balwant Singh Gopala.
Sunday October 11th, 2009
On the second consecutive day, party activists led by Sarbjit Singh Ghuman camped at historic Gurdwara Baba Bakala ( 40 kms from Amritsar) to highlight the case of Prof Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar. Around 870 people signed the petition urging the President to do away the capital punishment from the Indian statute and sought clemency for Prof Bhullar. Others who were present include Sukhdev Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Dr Kulwant Singh, Shivcharan Singh, Resham Singh, Daljit Singh.