The Hindu : National : If mercy plea is not rejected, BJP will `hang' effigies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 12, 2006
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If mercy plea is not rejected, BJP will `hang' effigies

Special Correspondent

`Any long, unexplained delay in deciding on the clemency plea not appropriate'

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party will "hang" effigies of Mohammad Afzal Guru, convicted in the Parliament House attack case, on October 20, the date announced for his execution, if the Government fails to reject his family's clemency petition.

General secretary Arun Jaitley said the Supreme Court quashing the grant of pardon to a person convicted of murder in Andhra Pradesh was a pointer to what it would do if clemency were shown to Afzal Guru on extraneous considerations.

Any long, unexplained delay by the Government in taking a decision on the clemency petition was not appropriate, as that itself could later become a ground for commuting the death sentence.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar announced that from October 12 to 14 State units would submit memoranda to Governors. From October 15 to 19 demonstrations would be held at all district headquarters. And, if the Government failed to reject the leniency plea, effigies of Afzal Guru would be "hanged" by party workers throughout the country on October 20.

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