Days before Nirbhaya convicts' hanging, their families seek euthanasia
In yet another dramatic development in the infamous 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, the families of the four death-row convicts have asked the President to grant them euthanasia. In a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, elderly parents, siblings and children of the convicts seek euthanasia or "mercy killing." The development comes mere days ahead of the convicts' hanging on Friday.
'Request President, victims' parents to grant us euthanasia'
The family's letter to the President has been accessed by ANI. Reportedly, the letter stated, "We request you (President) and the parents of the victim to accept our request and give us permission for euthanasia and stop any crime from happening in the future so another incident like Nirbhaya doesn't happen and the court doesn't have to hang five people in place of one."
'Even great sinners are forgiven in our country'
Written in Hindi, the letter said that no sins are unforgivable. It said, "In our country, even "maha-papi" (great sinners) are forgiven. Revenge is not the definition of power. There is power in forgiving."
Convicts to be hanged at 5:30 am on Friday
The four convicts in the Nirbhaya case—Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31)—are scheduled to be hanged at 5:30 am on March 20 (Friday). Their hanging had been deferred thrice before as the convicts filed mercy and curative petitions. Notably, the President has rejected the mercy petitions filed by all four convicts.
Last month, Akshay filed second mercy plea before President
Although Akshay's mercy petition was rejected by the President on February 5, he filed a second plea on February 29. He had claimed that the initial mercy petition did not have "complete facts" and hence he had moved a second plea.
Hangman asked to report at Tihar 3 days before execution
A hangman from Meerut, Pawan Jallad, has been asked to report at Tihar Jail on March 17. Pawan will conduct dummy executions before hanging the four convicts on March 20. According to PTI, convicts Mukesh, Pawan and Vinay have had their final face-to-face meetings with family members. The convicts have been undergoing regular health check-ups and counseling, authorities told the news agency.
What was the Nirbhaya rape case?
The four convicts, and two others, raped a 23-year-old student (dubbed "Nirbhaya") on a moving bus on December 16, 2012. The convicts penetrated her with iron rods, inflicting grave injuries, and the victim died two weeks later during treatment. The fifth accused, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in prison in 2013. The sixth accused—a juvenile—was sent to a reformation home and was later released.
