Punjab to release 550 prisoners as humanitarian gesture

Chandigarh: Even as he thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for accepting the state government's proposal to grant special remission to nine Sikh prisoners across the country to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday announced his government's decision to release 550 prisoners as a humanitarian gesture on the historic occasion.

The Chief Minister appreciated the Centre's decision to accept the state's plea for the release of TADA prisoners who had completed their sentence and whose release was not perceived to be prejudicial to the peace and security of Punjab or the country.

In a letter dated September 14, the Chief Minister had urged Shah to accept the state government's formal proposal as a 'goodwill gesture' on humanitarian grounds.

The Centre has now decided to commute the death sentence of one prisoner to life sentence and prematurely release eight others.

Expressing his gratitude to Shah for accepting the state's plea, Amarinder Singh said these prisoners had served their time and were now old men who deserved the chance to be reunited with their families and spend the remaining time of their lives with their kin.

These men are no danger to society in any way, he said, adding that the 550th Prakash Purb was the ideal occasion to follow the first Sikh Guru's ideology of compassion.

The Chief Minister's response came in the wake of a communication from the Union Home Ministry that it had decided to grant a special dispensation to nine Sikh prisoners from various jails in the country on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev as a humanitarian gesture.

The communication was sent to the state governments and Union Territories concerned for the release of these Sikh prisoners.

These prisoners were convicted by various courts in the country for offences committed by them during the militancy period in Punjab.