Public outcry for Dhananjoy execution gathers strength

Public outcry for execution of murder and rape convict Dhananjoy Chatterjee gained strength in the city on Monday, with more organisations and political outfits demanding rejection of his mercy petition by the President in the interest of society.

Public outcry for execution of murder and rape convict Dhananjoy Chatterjee gained strength in the city on Monday, with more organisations and political outfits demanding rejection of his mercy petition by the President in the interest of society.

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Neighbours of the Parekh family at Bhowanipore and flat owners of Anand Apartment, where teenager school student Hetal Parekh was brutally murdered and raped by caretaker Dhananjoy in 1990, gathered at a meeting to demand rejection of the mercy petition of the convict 'who is a danger to society'.

Following Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee's open support for death penalty for Chatterjee, Forward Bloc's women's wing 'Agragami Mahila Samity' on Monday expressed hope that the fresh mercy petition would be rejected by President.

Samity general secretary Aparajita Goppi said that Dhananjoy Chatterjee deserved to be hanged on charge of brutally murdering and then raping the hapless girl.

"Our Samity is of the view that fresh mercy petition before President should be turned down. Otherwise, this will send a wrong signal to society", she said adding if the execution was stayed "people will develop an idea that criminals could get away even after committing the heinous crime".

The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), opposing Dhananjoy's hanging, was not available for comment.

The APDR had earlier demanded that the convict be freed from the condemned cell and given opportunities to get rid of 'mental agony' in compliance with the jail code.

APDR said it was reprehensible that the hangman had been propagating 'revengeful punishment'.