3 weeks ago
Mann Seeks Governor's Intervention for Hawara's Parole on Humanitarian Grounds
A man named Jagtar Singh Hawara has been in jail for a very long time — 31 years.
Many years ago, he was found guilty of helping plan a bombing that killed a former state leader named Beant Singh and 16 other people.
At first, the court gave him the death penalty, but a higher court later changed that to life in prison.
Now, Hawara's mother is very old and very sick, and she is barely conscious.
When people say her son's name near her, she reacts, because she wants to see him one more time.
The leader of Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, met with Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to ask for Hawara to be allowed out of jail for ten days.
The Governor's recommendation is needed because the case is being handled in Delhi, and the central government will make the final decision.
The Chief Minister promised that police and officials would keep everything safe and peaceful if Hawara is allowed to visit his mother.
Even Beant Singh's grandson, Ravneet Singh Bittu, supports the idea, saying a sick mother should not be punished for what her son did.
Everyone now hopes that Hawara will soon be able to sit beside his mother.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday in Chandigarh, seeking intervention to grant 10-day parole to Jagtar Singh Hawara on humanitarian grounds.
Hawara, a member of the banned organisation Babbar Khalsa, is serving life imprisonment as a conspirator in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
Mann said Hawara's elderly mother, who is seriously ill and semi-conscious, has renewed hope of meeting her son after 31 years.
Beant Singh's grandson, former Union minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu, backed the parole plea, saying an elderly mother should not be made to suffer for her son's actions.
Mann assured the Governor that the state government would take full responsibility for law and order; Kataria said he would take up the matter with the Union home secretary.
- Who
- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria (also Chandigarh administrator), former Union minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu, and prisoner Jagtar Singh Hawara.
- What
- Mann sought the Governor's intervention to recommend 10-day parole for Hawara so he can meet his ailing mother; Hawara is serving life imprisonment for his role in the 1995 assassination of Beant Singh.
- Where
- Chandigarh, where the meeting was held. The case is being heard in Delhi, and the Governor's recommendation is required. The articles differ on Hawara's location: one says Delhi's Mandoli prison, the other says Burail Jail, Chandigarh, for 31 years.
- When
- The meeting took place on Wednesday; the articles are dated August 12 but give no exact date.
- Why
- Because Hawara's elderly, semi-conscious mother wants to meet her son and has renewed hope of doing so after 31 years.
Humanitarian Grounds
Law and Order Concerns
Granting parole to a convicted extremist
Humanitarian Grounds
Hawara should be granted 10-day parole so his elderly, semi-conscious mother can meet him after 31 years; an aged mother should not be made to suffer for her son's actions, a view supported even by Beant Singh's family.
Law and Order Concerns
Hawara is a Babbar Khalsa member convicted as a conspirator in a deadly assassination; releasing him could threaten the peace and security of Punjab, which is why the state government had to guarantee full responsibility for maintaining law and order.
Key facts
- Punjab Chief Minister
- Bhagwant Singh Mann
- Governor and Chandigarh Administrator
- Gulab Chand Kataria
- Parole Requested
- 10 days on humanitarian grounds
- Prisoner
- Jagtar Singh Hawara, member of banned organisation Babbar Khalsa
- Crime
- Conspiracy in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh
- Casualties
- Beant Singh and 16 others killed in the blast
- Sentence
- Death penalty in 2007; commuted to life imprisonment in 2010
- Court Directive
- Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a time-bound decision on the parole application after recommendations from the Chandigarh administration
Quotes
Ravneet Singh Bittu
Former Union minister and BJP leader, grandson of Beant Singh
“I have requested the Governor to kindly consider granting 10 days' parole to Jagtar Singh Hawara at the earliest so that he can meet his mother”
NDTV
“The state government takes full responsibility for the law and order situation in the wake of Jagtar Singh Hawara's visit to his home”
NDTV










