Death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana ends hunger strike amid mercy petition limbo

Balwant Singh Rajoana, the death row convict in the case involving the assassination of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, concluded his hunger strike on Friday morning. His decision came after a delegation led by Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh visited him at Patiala jail.
Rajoana ceased the indefinite fast that he initiated on December 5, breaking it by sipping water brought from the holy tank of the Golden Temple in Amritsar by the visiting delegation.
The hunger strike was initiated to urge the withdrawal of the mercy petition filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2012, due to the prolonged pendency of the case.
Kamaldeep Kaur, Rajoana’s sister, had appealed to Akal Takht jathedar to meet him and persuade him to end the hunger strike. Post the meeting with the Sikh clergy, jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh urged the SGPC to reconsider its decision on the mercy petition if the Centre does not commute the death sentence by December 31.
Rajoana’s scheduled execution on March 31, 2012, was stayed by the then Congress-led government after the SGPC filed a mercy petition. The plea was forwarded to the home ministry and remains pending.
This hunger strike isn’t Rajoana’s first. Previous strikes occurred in November 2016, July 2018, and January 2020, the latter aiming for the disposal of the mercy petition. This time, however, the demand is for the withdrawal of the petition itself.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami stated that Rajoana ended the hunger strike after being assured a decision on his mercy petition by December 31. Dhami asserted that the matter would be raised with the Union government, warning of potential repercussions if a decision isn’t made.
Kamaldeep Kaur urged the government to either decide on the mercy petition by December 31 or withdraw it entirely.