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Hangman readies to execute rapist-murderer
As the president turned down Dhananjoy Chatterjee's clemency appeal, Nata Mallick began preparing for the execution.
As the president turned down the clemency appeal of death-row convict Dhananjoy Chatterjee on Wednesday, the man who will be tasked with hanging him began preparing for the execution.
No date has been set yet but rules state that there has to be a gap of at least 20 days between the rejection of a clemency plea and the execution.
But Nata Mallick has already begun his preparations. "I'm ready for the hanging. We will have to carry out trials before the actual hanging," the 82-year-old hangman said.
Mallick, who in hanging Chatterjee would be executing the 25th man, said he was not unhappy that President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had rejected the convict's appeal.
Chatterjee was held guilty of raping and killing 14-year-old schoolgirl Hetal Parekh March 5, 1990 in the Kolkata building where she lived and he was a security guard.
He fought his case up to the Supreme Court, which upheld the lower courts' death verdict against him. The president had turned down an earlier plea for clemency.
Chatterjee's family moved a second mercy petition a few days before he was to be hanged June 25, and Kalam stayed his execution just hours before he was to go to the gallows.
The stay had miffed Mallick. "People who commit such heinous crimes should be hanged. I will have no problems hanging such a person," said Mallick, whose forefathers too were hangmen.
When the execution was stopped June 24, the veteran hangman had expressed his displeasure because every preparation had then been made.
"Hanging is not easy. It takes a lot of preparation. We have to start it all over again," he said.
Mallick had carried out trials with sandbags to check if the gallows could hold the convict's weight and if the footboard was working smoothly.
He had waxed the specially made rope to be used in the execution with ripe bananas and soap so that it slid smoothly on Chatterjee's neck.
Mallick said he was now waiting to hear from the government. The West Bengal government, which had spoken in support of death for Chatterjee, said it was yet to get the presidential note rejecting the convict's plea.
The state law department, in consultation with the home ministry and jails department, will fix the date for Chatterjee's hanging.
Till that time, Mallick said he would refresh the lesson in execution that he had imparted to his younger son and grandson, who will help him in hanging the 39-year-old convict.
