Jagtar Singh Hawara, a convict in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, has agreed to accept one-day parole to meet his ailing mother, Qaumi Insaaf Morcha leaders Gurcharan Singh and Gurdeep Singh Bathinda said in a statement on Friday.
The statement said that Hawara’s acceptance of the Morcha’s request has cleared the way for a possible temporary release, raising the prospects that prison authorities could process a one-day parole visit in the coming days.
Hawara is lodged in Mandoli Jail in New Delhi.
The decision comes amid repeated arguments by state agencies and prison administration before courts that Hawara himself was unwilling to avail limited release options to visit his home.
The issue recently gained momentum after chief minister Bhagwant Mann intervened in August by submitting a formal request to the Punjab governor, seeking 10-day parole for Hawara on humanitarian grounds. The request cited the deteriorating health of his 81-year-old mother.
The chief minister’s proposal followed an earlier decision by prison authorities to offer Hawara temporary custody parole, which he declined in favour of regular parole.
The debate over Hawara’s confinement is closely linked to broader calls by Sikh organisations, including the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, for the release of Sikh prisoners who remain incarcerated despite having completed their court-mandated sentences.
{{/usCountry}}The debate over Hawara’s confinement is closely linked to broader calls by Sikh organisations, including the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, for the release of Sikh prisoners who remain incarcerated despite having completed their court-mandated sentences.
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