May 28, 2011 4:02:35 PM
Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh
Rejection of the mercy petition of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar by the President Pratibha Patil would have no impact on the Assembly elections in Punjab. This is the refrain of the police and intelligence officials as well as politicians in the State.
“The issue lost what appeal it had a long time ago. It is a forgotten and dark chapter that no one wants to recall. Terrorism bred misery in Punjab and 20 years after it has come to an end, almost everybody realises this fact,” a senior officer in Punjab Police said.
That the issue has lost its relevance is underlined by the fact that no organisation has come forward with a response on the latest turn of events. They did not find it worthy of even issuing a statement.
“It is no longer an issue to bother ourselves about. The people of Punjab are looking to the future and no one has the time and energy to dig into the past. Elections in Punjab are fought on bread and butter issues such as development, unemployment, corruption, infrastructure and a better deal for farmers,” was how an Akali leader, who did not want to be named, summed up the issue.
Bhullar, a Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist, was the mastermind in the Delhi 1993 attack on Maninderjit Singh Bitta, then Youth Congress president, in which nine people lost their lives. Bitta survived the attack.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Bitta said the rejection of Bhullar's mercy petition would have no impact on Punjab's politics. “Some vested interests will try and politicise such issues but this time there are no takers. There are a few individuals in the State who get foreign money just to speak on sectarian lines. They will again try to play their dirty tricks. But I am happy to note that such voices no longer find sympathetic listeners.”
Eventhough the main parties refrained from comment on the matter, some US- and Canada-based individuals started a chain email titled 'Justice for Davinderpal Singh Bhullar'. This e-mail is from the time when Bhullar was convicted and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court.
When contacted, Kirpal Singh Bathinda, the signatory of the mail, admitted that almost all office bearers of his organisation are foreign-based but insisted that Bhullar should get 'justice' which, according to him, meant pardon for his crime.
(The Pioneer 28.5.11) http://dailypioneer.com/341704/%E2%80%98No-sympathy-for-Bhullar-in-Punjab.html
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