By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association (JTSA) organized a ‘public meeting’ on “capital punishment and the state of Indian democracy” on February 19 at the FTK-CIT Hall at Jamia Millia Islamia.
Justice (retd) A P Shah, Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, and journalists Iftikhar Gilani and Sukumar Muralidharan made a passionate case for India to now abolish capital punishment.
Senior Journalist Iftikhar Gilani was himself detained and harassed on the day of execution of Guru.
At the end of the public meeting eight resolutions were adopted condemning the “cynical and callous denial of his right to seek judicial remedy” to Afzal Guru. It also condemned the assault on Kashmiri students who were protesting at Jantar Mantar.
The house also agreed that “capital punishment is a cruel and degrading form of punishment, and has no place in civilized society. India must follow the lead of over 141 countries which have abolished the death penalty and strike it off from its criminal justice system.”
Below is the full text of the resolutions passed:
1. This House expresses its outrage at the secret hanging of Afzal Guru, and the cynical and callous denial of his right to seek judicial remedy.
2. This House demands that the mortal remains of Afzal Guru be handed over to his family without any delay.
3. This House strongly condemns the assault on Kashmiri students and others who were protesting the execution of Afzal Guru, in Delhi and elsewhere, by Bajrang Dal.
4. This House denounces the government’s attempts to harass, intimidate and gag senior journalist Iftikhar Gilani and Delhi University teacher SAR Geelani.
5. This House demands that the Special Cell personnel involved in this exercise of intimidation be suspended immediately.
6. This House condemns the cowardly attempts to rob the Kashmiri people of their right to protest through clamp downs, curfews and censorship.
7. This House demands an immediate moratorium on executions, including those of Simon, Meesakara Mathayan, Bilavendran and Gnanaprakasam.
8. This House strongly feels that capital punishment is a cruel and degrading form of punishment, and has no place in civilized society. India must follow the lead of over 141 countries which have abolished the death penalty and strike it off from its criminal justice system.