No role in commutation of Beant Singh's assassin Balwant Singh Rajoana's death sentence: Punjab CM

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday said his government played no role in the Centre's decision to commute former Chief Minister Beant Singh's assassin Balwant Singh Rajaona's death sentence into life imprisonment.

Speaking to media here, Singh said the state government had only sent the names of 17 long-term prisoners held under provisions of erstwhile Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) to the Central government.

"The state government had only sent the list of 17 TADA prisoners held in Punjab, as required by the Centre, which had taken an independent decision on the release of the prisoners. The government was yet to receive the names of the nine prisoners who the Ministry of Home Affairs had decided to grant a special exemption," a press release quoted Singh as saying.

"Congress' stand on Beant Singh's killers had always been clear and consistent - that they should serve their full sentence," said the Chief Minister.

However, Singh said he was "personally against death penalty". "All cases of death penalty should be commuted to life imprisonment," he opined.

The Chief Minister said his government will not let anyone disturb Punjab's peace under any circumstances.

On Sunday, the Union Home Ministry approved the commutation of Rajaona's death sentence to life imprisonment as a humtarian gesture on the 550th Prakash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev.

On August 31, 1995, 17 people, including the then chief minister Beant Singh, were killed in an explosion outside the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh.

( With inputs from ANI )