Remorse and resistance: The final moments before Nirbhaya’s killers were hanged

New Delhi, Mar 20: The final moments for a death row convict is always an eerie one. One would expect that the night before the hanging, the convict would reflect upon his sins, knowing fully well that his death is about to come in a few hours.

The four convicts in the Nirbhaya case were extremely restless before the hanging that took place early this morning at the Tihar jail. Jail authorities tell OneIndia that they had hope until late in the night as their plea was being heard by the court. They resigned to their fate once their plea was rejected.

None of them slept and were restless. They were being watched and monitored constantly as in the recent past one of them had banged his head on the wall in a bid to injure himself.

In the wee hours of Friday, they were asked to get ready. They were asked to take a bath and then provided with a fresh set of clothes. They were also served their last meal before being taken to the gallows. All of them had finally resigned to their fate knowing fully well that the end was near.

The convicts were subject to a medical test and once declared fit, they were escorted to the gallows. Before escorting them to the gallows, their faces were covered. Once they arrived at the gallows, the black cloth over their head was removed and they were made to see the gallows.

After being taken towards the gallows, their faces were covered once again. The executioner then put the noose around the neck one by one. The hanging was to be undertaken simultaneously. All four resisted as is the case in almost all hangings. By 5.30 am, the stage was set and the jail superintendent waved his hand to signal the hangings.

The lever was pulled down and the execution was completed.