Chandigarh
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday took Jagtar Singh Hawara’s parole plea to the next level by personally meeting Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, seeking 10 days’ parole on humanitarian grounds to enable the Beant Singh assassination case convict to meet his ailing mother. Crucially, Mann gave the Governor an explicit guarantee that the Punjab Government would take full responsibility for maintaining law and order, with no sloganeering, ruckus or disruption if Hawara comes out of jail.
Mann’s high-profile intervention came just four days after he wrote to Kataria seeking the same relief, and amid a legal process in which the Punjab and Haryana High Court last month directed authorities at Delhi’s Mandoli prison, where Hawara is lodged, to decide his parole application in a time-bound manner after seeking recommendations from the Chandigarh Administration. The move gives the parole issue both an administrative and political edge, particularly as Punjab heads towards the 2027 Assembly elections and the AAP government seeks to make inroads into the panthic political space.
Seeking Kataria’s intervention, Mann cited the deteriorating health of Hawara’s 83-year-old mother, saying she had been waiting for her son for 31 years and was now in a semi-conscious condition. He said the request was purely humanitarian and expressed hope that Hawara would soon be able to sit beside his mother.
Mann’s assurance on law and order was central to Wednesday’s meeting. He told the Governor that Punjab would guarantee peace and ensure that there would be no sloganeering, “zindabad-murdabad” calls, ruckus or any other disruption during Hawara’s parole.
He said Hawara’s supporters and family members had also assured the government of their cooperation. Mann said the Punjab Government was fully committed to protecting the “hard-earned peace” of the state and would provide all support and cooperation in pursuing the matter with the Centre.
The Chief Minister said the Governor had assured him that he would contact the Union Home Secretary and complete the required formalities. Mann expressed hope that Hawara would soon be able to meet his mother.
Mann had written to Kataria on August 8, seeking 10 days’ parole and arguing that the Governor’s recommendation was necessary in view of his position as Administrator of Chandigarh. “Being the Administrator of Chandigarh, the recommendation of the Governor is necessary for a decision in this regard. Therefore, considering the humanitarian aspect of the matter and the deteriorating health condition of Jagtar Singh Hawara’s mother, I have urged the Governor to take a decision at the earliest,” Mann said.
High Court Order Sets the Process in Motion
The Chief Minister’s intervention comes against the backdrop of the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s directions issued last month on Hawara’s parole application. The Court had directed authorities at Delhi’s Mandoli prison, where Hawara is lodged, to decide his parole plea in a time-bound manner after obtaining the required recommendations from the Chandigarh Administration. Mann has accordingly sought the Governor’s intervention, stressing that Kataria, as the Administrator of Chandigarh, has a role in the recommendation process. The Chief Minister said the humanitarian circumstances surrounding Hawara’s mother’s deteriorating health warranted an early decision. The parole decision will ultimately have to follow the prescribed administrative process, involving the jail authorities and the relevant Chandigarh and Union authorities.
A New AAP Push into Panthic Politics
Mann’s intervention also carries clear political significance with the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching. The AAP government is seeking to establish a foothold in a panthic political space traditionally dominated by the Shiromani Akali Dal and its various factions. The issue assumes added importance amid the growing influence of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) and the emergence of Amritpal Singh as another pole in Sikh politics.
Hawara, who was declared Jathedar of the Akal Takht by a Sarbat Khalsa in 2015, continues to command significance among sections of the Sikh community. The decision by Mann to personally approach the Governor and publicly assume responsibility for law and order, therefore, carries a political message beyond the parole request itself.
Political observers see the move as part of a broader AAP strategy to reach different sections of the electorate. While the government has sought to engage Hindu voters through initiatives such as ‘Humaare Ram’, and ‘Ek Shaam Shiv Ke Naam’, the Hawara parole push could help it seek greater acceptance among Sikh and Panthic voters.
Who is Hawara?
Hawara was convicted for his role in the August 31, 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. A bomb blast outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh killed Beant Singh and 16 others. Punjab Police employee Dilawar Singh acted as the human bomb.
A special court in 2007 sentenced Hawara and Balwant Singh Rajoana to death. Hawara was convicted under provisions including Sections 302, 307 and 120-B of the IPC. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on October 12, 2010, commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment, while directing that he remain in prison for the rest of his life.
Hawara, who has been linked to Babbar Khalsa International, was also among the prisoners who escaped from Burail Jail in Chandigarh in January 2004 through a roughly 94-foot-long tunnel dug beneath the prison. He was arrested by Delhi Police on June 8, 2005. Police had claimed recovery of RDX, weapons and explosive devices at the time.
What Happens Next?
The immediate question is whether the renewed political push will translate into parole. Mann has sought 10 days, while government sources have indicated that Hawara could potentially be allowed out for only one or two days. A team of doctors also visited his mother in Fatehgarh Sahib, adding urgency to the humanitarian plea.
The case now moves through the prescribed administrative process. Mann’s meeting with the Governor has significantly escalated the government’s pursuit of the parole plea, with the Chief Minister personally seeking intervention and putting the state’s law-and-order guarantee behind the request.
For Hawara, who has spent nearly three decades behind bars, the outcome could have significance beyond his own case, as any parole decision may also raise expectations among other long-term Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) seeking temporary release on humanitarian grounds.
