Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu have backed a request to grant temporary parole to Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is serving a sentence in connection with the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, so that he can meet his ailing mother. Mann has written to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria seeking 10 days' parole for Hawara, citing his mother's deteriorating health and advanced age. The Chief Minister said Hawara has been lodged in Burail Jail, Chandigarh, for the past 31 years and that his mother is currently semi-conscious and suffering from age-related health problems.
In his appeal, Mann urged the Governor to consider granting the parole at the earliest so Hawara could meet his mother. He also said the Punjab government would take full responsibility for maintaining law and order during Hawara's visit to his home, addressing concerns that could arise from his temporary release. The request received support from an unexpected quarter, with BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also backing the humanitarian grounds for parole. Bittu is the grandson of Beant Singh, whose assassination led to Hawara's conviction. Despite the family's direct connection to the case, Bittu said compassion for Hawara's elderly mother should be considered separately from the question of accountability for the crime.
“As the family of late S Beant Singh ji, we second this humanitarian move. A mother should not be made to undergo punishment for the actions of her son,” Bittu said. He added that regardless of the legal consequences of Hawara's actions, an elderly and unwell mother should not be prevented from meeting her son when the law permits temporary parole. The case carries considerable political and historical sensitivity in Punjab because Beant Singh was assassinated in 1995 in a bombing outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. Hawara was convicted in connection with the assassination and has remained imprisoned for decades. The case continues to resonate within sections of Punjab's political and social landscape.
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Mann's intervention has focused on the humanitarian circumstances surrounding Hawara's mother rather than the merits of his conviction. By emphasising her age and deteriorating health, the Chief Minister has asked the Governor to consider a temporary arrangement that would allow a family meeting without altering the underlying legal status of the prisoner. Bittu's support has added an unusual dimension to the matter because of his family's connection to the victim. His statement distinguished between seeking justice for his grandfather and showing compassion towards Hawara's mother, arguing that the elderly woman should not suffer because of the actions for which her son was convicted.
The request will ultimately be subject to the applicable legal and administrative procedures governing parole. Mann has assured the Governor that the state government would take responsibility for security and law-and-order arrangements should Hawara be permitted to visit his mother. The development has placed two political figures from opposing sides of one of Punjab's most sensitive historical issues on common ground over a humanitarian request. While the circumstances surrounding Beant Singh's assassination remain a deeply contentious chapter in the state's history, Mann and Bittu have argued that Hawara's mother's deteriorating condition warrants consideration of a temporary parole.
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