2409:4051:2E0B:1042:0:0:9949:4602 at 15:48, 5 October 2022

2022-10-05T15:48:22Z

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{{Short description|Convicted Indian assassin}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Balwant Singh Rajoana
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|08|23|df=y}}{{citation needed|date=April 2013}}
| birth_place = [[Rajoana|Rajoana Kalan]], [[Raikot]], [[Ludhiana district]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]]
| citizenship = Indian
| occupation = Former Police constable
| nationality =
| known_for = Participation in the conspiracy to kill [[Beant Singh (chief minister)|Beant Singh]]
| movement = Khalistan
}}

'''Balwant Singh Rajoana''' was convicted for the assassination of [[Beant Singh (chief minister)|Beant Singh]] (former Chief Minister of Punjab) on 31 August 1995.<ref>{{cite news|title=Here, Balwant Singh Rajoana is still a hero|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-here-balwant-singh-rajoana-is-still-a-hero/20120411.htm|accessdate=29 September 2012|newspaper=Rediff|date=11 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/patiala/rajoana-rushed-to-rajindra-hospital-following-complaints-of-back-pain/article1-1365623.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816073728/http://www.hindustantimes.com/patiala/rajoana-rushed-to-rajindra-hospital-following-complaints-of-back-pain/article1-1365623.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 August 2015|title=Rajoana rushed to Rajindra Hospital following complaints of back pain|date=3 July 2015}}</ref> Rajoana was sentenced to death on 1 August 2007 by a special CBI court in Chandigarh.<ref name=ibn>{{cite news | url = http://ibnlive.in.com/news/beant-singh-killing-rajoanas-hanging-stayed/243573-37.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130212024939/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/beant-singh-killing-rajoanas-hanging-stayed/243573-37.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2013-02-12 | title = Beant Singh killing: Balwant Singh Rajoana's hanging stayed | publisher = IBNLive | date = 2012-03-28 | accessdate = 2012-03-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/why-balwant-singh-rajoana-shouldnt-be-hanged/article3255057.ece|title=Why Balwant Singh Rajoana shouldn't be hanged|newspaper=The Hindu|date=29 March 2012|last1=Chaudhry|first1=Yug Mohit}}</ref> Beant Singh was killed by Balwant Singh's associate [[Dilawar Singh Babbar]] and Balwant Singh was the backup human bomb to be used had Dilawar failed in his mission.<ref>{{cite news|title=Punjab on edge over hanging of Beant Singh's killer Balwant Singh Rajoana |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/punjab-on-edge-beant-singh-balwant-singh-rajoana/1/179691.html |accessdate=28 March 2012 |newspaper=India Today |date=28 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329042658/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/punjab-on-edge-beant-singh-balwant-singh-rajoana/1/179691.html |archivedate=29 March 2012 }}</ref>

==Early years==
Balwant Singh was born in [[Rajoana|Rajoana Kalan]] village near Raikot in Ludhiana district of Punjab in a [[Sikh]] family on 23 August 1967. As a child, he was fond of reading [[ghazal]]s, novels and poetry. The works of [[Surjit Paatar]] and [[Jaswant Singh Kanwal]] played an important role in shaping his ideology.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/news/beant-killer-a-fan-of-punjabi-literature/929682/ | title = Beant killer, a fan of Punjabi literature | author = Amrita Chaudhry | publisher = Indian Express | date = 2012-03-29 | accessdate = 2012-03-29 }}</ref>

==Assassination of Beant Singh==
In Punjab between 1992 and 1995, at a time when the Khalistan separatist movement was active in the state and the Indian government was aggressively seeking to control the movement. It is alleged that, during Beant Singh's tenure, upwards of twenty-five thousand of Sikh civilians disappeared or were killed and their bodies cremated by the police in extrajudicial executions.<ref>{{Citation
|title = Violent Deaths and Enforced Disappearances During the Counterinsurgency in Punjab, India: A Preliminary Quantitative Analysis
|url = http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/descriptiveanalysis/reportwcover.pdf
|year = 2009
|last1 = Romesh
|first1 = Silva
|last2 = Marwaha
|first2 = Jasmine
|last3 = Klingner
|first3 = Jeff
|accessdate = 2012-08-14
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717050107/http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/descriptiveanalysis/reportwcover.pdf
|archive-date = 17 July 2011
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> Rajoana, who was a police constable at that time, conspired with Dilawar Singh Jaisinghvala, a police officer, to kill Beant Singh. Based on a coin toss, Dilawar Singh Jaisinghvala was chosen to be the suicide bomber with Rajoana as a backup. The attack on 31 August 1995 resulted in the death of Beant Singh and 17 others,<ref name=bbc/> and, on 25 December 1997, Rajoana confessed his involvement.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120319/edit.htm#5 | title = Promises to keep | author = Saurabh Malik | work = The Tribune | location = Chandigarh | date = 2012-03-19 | accessdate = 2012-03-29 }}</ref>

== Conviction and death sentence ==
Balwant Singh had "openly confessed" an involvement and strongly expressed no faith in Indian judiciary. He refused to defend himself and refused to take a lawyer. He accused Indian courts of applying dual standards of law and the Indian judicial system of shielding the culprits of [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]].<ref name="TheHinduWhy" /> "Asking for mercy from them (Indian courts) is not even in my distant dreams" Rajoana said in an open letter to Media.

Explaining his actions, Balwant Singh referred to the [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]] and talked about how the perpetrators had not been punished even after 25 years. In a letter to the Chief Justice of the High Court, he complained about discrimination at the hands of the country's judicial system and the rulers.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140202185742/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-29/india/31253965_1_beant-singh-first-execution-dilawar-singh Why Balwant Singh Rajoana never appealed against his death sentence]</ref> Rajoana defended his actions citing the 1984 [[Operation Blue Star]] offensive at the [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]] and the killing of Sikhs during the [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]].<ref name="TheHinduWhy">{{cite news| url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article3255057.ece | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=Why Balwant Singh Rajoana shouldn't be hanged | date=2012-03-29}}</ref>

Rajoana was sentenced to death by a special CBI court and his execution was scheduled for 31 March 2012.<ref name=ndtv/> In his will, Balwant Singh said that his wish was to donate his eyes to Lakhwinder Singh (Ragi at Golden Temple Amritsar) and his kidneys, heart or any other body part to needy patients. On 28 March 2012 India's Home Ministry stayed the execution following clemency appeals filed by the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee|SGPC]], a Sikh organization.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17532832 | title = India puts Sikh radical Rajoana's execution on hold | publisher = BBC News | date = 2012-03-28 | accessdate = 2012-03-29 }}</ref>

On stay of his execution, Balwant singh said, "I have dedicated my life to the Panth(referred to [[Khalsa]] and meaning the Sikh Community) and have no regrets. So the stay doesn't make any difference to me".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-30/india/31260447_1_babbar-khalsa-international-akal-takht-jathedar-clothes | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721100601/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-30/india/31260447_1_babbar-khalsa-international-akal-takht-jathedar-clothes | url-status=dead | archive-date=2012-07-21 | work=[[The Times of India]] | title=Stay makes Rajoana neither unhappy, nor sad | date=2012-03-30}}</ref>
He also added, "This is a victory of real Khalsa Panth after every member of the Sikh Community rose to the occasion and successfully conveyed the strength of the Khalsa religion. I am ready to be hanged at any time and will live as long as God has decided for me. My happiness over the stay shouldn't be considered as my weakness. I am happy because Sikh Community has shocked the walls of the Delhi government, not because my hanging has been postponed."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Patiala/It-s-victory-of-panth-Rajoana/SP-Article1-832902.aspx/ |access-date=30 March 2012 |date=30 March 2012 |url-status=dead |title=It's victory of panth: Rajoana |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401192328/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Patiala/It-s-victory-of-panth-Rajoana/SP-Article1-832902.aspx |archivedate=1 April 2012 |publisher=[[Hindustan Times]]}}</ref>
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday said in Lok Sabha that death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in the assassination case of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, has not been commuted.
"The sentence has not been commuted," he told the Parliamentarians in the Lower House today.
Shah also urged the fellow members to not to go by media reports which have stated that the ministry has recommended commuting the death sentence of Rajoana and the communication had been sent to Punjab government and Chandigarh administration.
Shah made the remarks after the matter was raised by the Congress members and the grandson of late Beant Singh, Ravneet Singh Bittu during the question hour in the lower house.
Bittu said that the members on Monday had demanded death sentence for those convicted in heinous cases against women but Rajoana's death sentence was sought to be commuted. He also sought a response from the Home Minister. (ANI) .<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/03/backup-bomber-and-his-sympathizers |title = 'Backup bomber' and his sympathizers | Toronto Sun|date = 3 April 2012}}</ref>

== Awards ==
On 23 March 2012, he was awarded the title of "Living Martyr" by [[Akal Takhat]], the highest temporal seat of the [[Khalsa]]. Rajoana initially refused to accept the title, but later on 27 March, he accepted the title, saying that it will make him "more determined" towards his goals.<ref
name=ndtv>{{cite news | url = http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/will-balwant-singh-rajoana-be-hanged-on-saturday-10-big-developments-190557 | title = Will Balwant Singh Rajoana be hanged on Saturday? 10 big developments | publisher = NDTV | date = 2012-03-28 | accessdate = 2012-03-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120328/punjab.htm#7 | title = Finally, Rajoana agrees for 'Zinda Shaheed' title | author = Aman Sood | work = The Tribune | date = 2012-03-28 | accessdate = 2012-03-29 }}</ref> [[Dilawar Singh Babbar]] was also awarded the title of "National Martyr" in the same order from Akal Takhat.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajoana, Balwant Singh}}
[[Category:Indian Sikhs]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Khalistan movement people]]
[[Category:People from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:Prisoners sentenced to death by India]]
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Indian prisoners sentenced to death]]
[[Category:Indian people convicted of murder]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by India]]
[[Category:Suicide bombers in the Punjab insurgency]]
[[Category:Insurgency in Punjab]]

Balwant Singh Rajoana - Revision history

2409:4051:2E0B:1042:0:0:9949:4602 at 15:48, 5 October 2022