Land of ahimsa should abolish death penalty

Chennai:

Rights activists, religious leaders and politicians on Saturday vowed to step up their agitation against death penalty and questioned the stance of India that practices the tenets of Mahatma Gandhi.

A M Chinnappa, archbishop of Madras-Mylapore, who inaugurated the day-long All India forum against death penalty, said that on one hand India follows ahimsa of Mahatma Gandhi and on other end believes in taking away life by giving death sentence.

‘Every religion talks about forgiveness, none is for violence,” said Chinappa.

Jagmohan Singh of Coalition against Death Penalty in South East Asia, said that death penalty is a crime against God and said his coalition opposes death penalty not only in India but entire world. “We express solidarity with all people on death row in India,” he said.

Professor Jagmohan Singh, who is also a nephew of the Bhagat Singh, said death sentence has been abolished in 139 countries and only 58 states, including India practise it.

Interestingly, the conference is held in the backdrop of the mercy pleas of three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case in Tamil Nadu being shifted to apex court. The final disposal of the cases of T Sathendraraja alias Santhan, A G  Perarivalan alias Arivu and V Sriharan alias Murugan is expected on July 10.

But Seeman of Naam Thamizhar said the conference focus is not on the three Tamils facing death sentence but a total abolition of death sentence in India. “We will fight for the abolition of death penalty,” he added.