Centre commutes death sentence of Beant Singh's assassin

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has commuted the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was sentenced to death in 2007 for the murder of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.

The order has been conveyed to the Punjab and Chandigarh administrations, said an ANI report. The Chandigarh administration has been asked to pursue remission orders.

Beant Singh was assassinated on August 31, 1995 in an explosion outside the civil secretariat in Chandigarh. Sixteen others were killed in the explosion in which Punjab department employee Dilawar Singh, also a member Sikh militant outfit Babbar Khalsa International acted as a suicide bomber.

Rajoana, who was a backup bomber in case Dilawar’s attempt failed, was sentenced to death in 2012 by a Chandigarh court. However, the Indian government stayed his execution on March 28, 2012 on the clemency request of then Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to then president Pratibha Patil.

(With inputs from agencies)The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has commuted the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was sentenced to death in 2007 for the murder of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.