Ravneet Singh Bittu, former Minister of State for Railways and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader — and grandson of slain former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh — on Wednesday welcomed the positive report sent by Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to the Union Home Ministry on the humanitarian parole application of Jagtar Singh Hawara, the convicted assassin of Beant Singh. The development marks a rare moment of political convergence, with both the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition BJP aligning on a humanitarian position.

Bittu Meets Governor, Backs Compassionate Approach

Bittu said he personally met Governor Kataria to thank him for taking a compassionate view of the matter, specifically citing the advanced age and deteriorating health of Hawara's mother. “For the sake of an elderly and unwell mother, Hawara should be granted parole,” Bittu said.

Speaking on behalf of the family of the late chief minister, Bittu stated: “As the family of late Beant Singh-ji, we second this humanitarian move. A mother should not be made to undergo a humanitarian punishment for the actions of her son. Whatever the legal consequences of his actions maybe, an aged and unwell mother should not be deprived of the opportunity to meet her son when the law provides for temporary parole.”

CM Mann's Earlier Appeal to the Governor

Earlier on the same day, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had met Governor Kataria and formally sought his intervention for a 10-day parole for Hawara on humanitarian grounds. Mann noted that after 31 years of incarceration, Hawara's ailing mother has a renewed hope of meeting her son.

Chief Minister Mann said the Governor's recommendation was necessary because the case is being heard in Delhi, and assured that the Punjab government would take full responsibility for maintaining law and order if parole were granted. “Jagtar Singh Hawara has been lodged in Burail Jail in Chandigarh for the last 31 years. His mother is old and suffering from age-related health issues and is currently semi-conscious,” Mann said.

The Family's Position: Honour and Compassion Together

Bittu was careful to frame the family's support within a broader moral context. He reiterated that the family of late Beant Singh would always honour his supreme sacrifice, while simultaneously affirming that compassion and humanity must guide society forward. The position is notable: the family of the victim is actively supporting a humanitarian gesture for the convict's elderly mother.

Background: Who Is Jagtar Singh Hawara?

Hawara was convicted for his role in the 1995 assassination of Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. The attack, carried out by Khalistan militants, also killed several others. Hawara has remained in custody for over three decades and the parole application is being processed through the courts in Delhi, requiring the Governor's formal recommendation to the Centre.

Competent authorities are now expected to examine the matter and take a decision in accordance with the law, according to Bittu. All eyes are on the Union Home Ministry for a final call on the parole request.