Tara gets life term till death for assassinating Beant Singh
The Chandigarh Court today awarded life imprisonment till death to Jagtar Singh Tara who assassinated former Congress Chief Minister of Punjab Beant Singh in 1995. Jagtar Singh has confessed to his crime thrice till date stating that he killed the former as ‘Sikh history taught him not to bear injustice and the circumstances at that time were intolerable as innocent youths were being massacred’.
He said he had taken the revenge. He had also said that Shaheed Udham Singh, who assassinated Michael O’Dwyer, was his inspiration to kill Beant. He also admitted that he purchased the car used for the assassination of Beant and they all waited for the best opportunity to kill the former CM.
A fine of Rs 35,000 has also been imposed on Jagtar Singh Tara. Tara was held guilty under Section 302 (murder) and 120 B ( criminal conspiracy) and sections 4 and 6 of The Explosives Substances Act. Where as the CBI counsel had pleaded for death penalty.
On 31 August 1995 former Chief Minister of Punjab Beant Singh along with 16 others including his security guard was killed in a bomb blast in a VIP porch of Punjab and Haryana secretariat.The team who investigated this high profile assassination case has named 15 people as accused.
A constable of Punjab Police Dilawar Singh, who assassinated Beant Singh was the human bomb. Tara is the eighth accused facing trial, to be convicted. Six others were declared proclaimed offenders. There was one acquittal.
A CBI court has already convicted Balwant Singh Rajoana,Paramjit Singh Bheora ,Jagtar Singh Hawara,Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Shamsher Singh, Naseeb Singh and Navjot Singh.Where as 6 persons were declared as PO’s including Wadhwa Singh Babbar, Mehal Singh Babbar and Jagroop Singh are in Pakistan, Resham Singh is in Germany, Manjinder Singh is in the UK and Harjeet Singh.
Recently Beant’s grandson, Ravneet Singh Bittu, who is also the Ludhiana MP, has said there was no question of pardoning the terrorists.
