Amritsar, October 11 — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday called on the Centre to recommend commutation of the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, the convict in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Rajoana, lodged in a Patiala jail, has been on death row for 18 years.
Speaking at a party meeting, Sukhbir noted that Rajoana has spent nearly three decades in jail and asserted that the entire Sikh community globally stands united on the issue. He added that SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami had also conveyed this sentiment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“The Supreme Court has itself pointed out the anomaly in the prolonged delay of his execution. His sentence should now be commuted to life imprisonment in line with the central government’s notification issued during the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019,” Sukhbir said.
The demand comes days after the Supreme Court raised concerns over the delay in executing Rajoana, who was sentenced to death in 2007.
Sukhbir also criticised the state government over the Roshan Punjab project, terming it a “gimmick.” “Punjabis know that the state became power surplus under the erstwhile SAD government. Not a single megawatt has been added to Punjab’s electricity pool in the last nine years,” he claimed.
He added, “Instead of generating additional power, the AAP government is resorting to publicity stunts like inaugurating transformers. It should acknowledge that the 30 per cent surplus generation capacity created by the SAD government has been sufficient to meet the state’s power needs till now.”
