BJP voices discontent about granting clemency to death convicts

Itanagar, Oct 17 (UNI) Arunachal Pradesh unit of the BJP has voiced discontent about granting clemency to Mohd Afzal Guru, who was convicted and sentenced to death, in connection with the attack on Indian Parliament in December 2001.

In a memorandum to Governor S K Singh yesterday, the BJP expressed serious concern over the campaign launched by those ''sympathetic to terrorism and seeking clemency in favour of the death convict''.

The party said, ''The attack was masterminded by those who wanted to eliminate political leadership in the country,'' adding it was an attack on India's democracy, its sovereignty and its leadership.

The BJP stated it was because of the security guards at Parliament, and their timely action of blocking all the entrances that saved the leadership. Otherwise the loss of human lives would have been immense.

Stating that the verdict given by the apex court has been uniform and clear, the party said ''when the convict himself has no signs of remorse and did not submit the clemency petition himself, he cannot be considered for clemency.'' The party in the memorandum further said if amnesty was shown to those, who masterminded the most heinous attacks in recent history, it would be an incentive to terrorism. UNI UPB JYN AK BD1445