Chandigarh: Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday met Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to push for a 10-day parole for Beant Singh assassination convict Jagtar Singh Hawara, enabling him to meet his ailing octogenarian mother.
After meeting Kataria, Mann said he was hopeful that Hawara would be granted parole as the governor assured him he would speak to the Union home secretary and fulfil all necessary formalities in this regard.
The meeting came four days after the chief minister wrote to the governor, urging him to consider the parole request on “humanitarian grounds.”
Hawara, who is serving a life term for the assassination of then chief minister Beant Singh in 1995, is currently lodged in Delhi’s Central Jail, Mandoli.
Mann said the Punjab government had recommended parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara to enable him to meet his mother after 31 years. “I have assured the governor that there will be no law and order problem after Bhai Hawara is released on parole. His associates and several Sikh organisations have also assured us that there will be no slogan-shouting or commotion anywhere,” he told reporters.
The CM said the governor, in his capacity as UT administrator, would make a recommendation on the parole request, while the Union home ministry would make the final decision.
{{/usCountry}}The CM said the governor, in his capacity as UT administrator, would make a recommendation on the parole request, while the Union home ministry would make the final decision.
{{/usCountry}}“Mata ji is in a semi-conscious state. When Hawara’s name is whispered in her ears, she reacts and blinks her eyes. A mother has been waiting to meet her son after 31 years,” he said. He said his government was willing to provide any documents required in connection with the parole request and expressed hope that the convict would soon be with his mother.
Mann’s letter and his meeting with the governor in quick succession, particularly after the state government had opposed the parole only a few months ago, are seen as an attempt to contain the political fallout of the ‘Guru Dokhi’ controversy amid renewed political churn over Panthic votes. The Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), Shiromani Akali Dal and other Akali factions have all stepped up their efforts to consolidate their support bases ahead from state polls, due in less than six months.
Delhi jail supdt to decide on parole plea: Court
Hawara had submitted the application on June 11, 2025, seeking four weeks’ parole to attend to his ailing mother. As no decision was taken on his application, he moved the court.
On July 6, the Punjab and Haryana high court directed authorities at Delhi’s Mandoli Central Jail to decide his parole application in a time-bound manner after obtaining recommendations of the Chandigarh administration. The court directed the superintendent of the Mandoli jail to forward the parole request to the home secretary, UT Chandigarh, within one week of the order. It granted the Chandigarh administration four weeks to submit its comments/ recommendations to the jail superintendent.
“On receipt of the comments/recommendation, the superintendent of the Central Jail, Mandoli, shall take a decision on the parole application within a further period of two weeks thereafter,” the court directed.