Yakub Memon hanging: Things to know about hanging rope in India

Yakub Memon, convicted for helping plan and execute the serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993, has appealed again to the Supreme Court to stop his hanging, scheduled for July 30. His wife visited him in jail in Nagpur today.

Yakub's hanging will be fourth in India since 2004 after Dhananjoy Chatterjee was hanged in Kolkata. After Dhananjay, 26/11 convict Ajmal Kasab and Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru were hanged in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Hangings are carried out by using a special rope.

Below are facts need to know about Manila rope supplied by Buxar jail for hangings

• Buxar Central Jail is the only prison in the country that has expertise in manufacturing wax-coated manila rope used for hanging.

• The prisoners of Buxar jail have been making the ropes since 1930.

• The rope is manufactured in a way that there is least friction and the knot tightens smoothly.

• Rope used for hanging takes over a fortnight to be made after requisition.

• The ideal length of a hanging rope should be 1.6 times from the height of the victim.

• Making of the Manila rope needs 67% relative humidity in open air.

• There is one ropemaking machine at the Buxar central jail and eight prisoners make the rope using the twist and torque technique.

• The J-34 cotton used for making the rope is bought from Cotton Corporation of India, Bhatinda.

• Buxar jail provided special rope for hanging Afzal Guru to Delhi's Tihar jail on order in 2007. This rope was, however, not used because of the stay on Guru's execution. In 2013, a rope bought from Bihar home (prisons) department in 2005 was used for Afzal Guru's hanging.

• Buxar jail had also provided the rope for the execution of Dhananjoy Chatterjee in Kolkata in 2004, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a teenager, at Alipore Jail in Kolkata.