Gallows for brigand’s bomb quad

Bengaluru: Nine years after the Supre me Court awarded them the death sentence in 2004, the dreaded brigand Veera p pan’s four associates on death row – Gnanprak ash am, Simon, Meesekar Mad aiah and Bilavendran – are heading for the gallows after President Pranab Mu k herjee rejected their mer cy petitions two days ago. Convicted for killing 22 police and forest personnel from Tamil Nadu in a land m ine blast at Palar in Kar n ataka near the Karn at aka-Tamil Nadu border in 1993, Veerappan’s associates cou ld face the gallows by Febr u ary-end at the high-security Hindalga prison in Belg aum, prison officials said. “We have already condu cted several dry runs on the gallows,” an official told this newspaper. The state government rec e ived the communication from the Home Affairs Min istry regarding the rejection of the mercy petitions of the four convicts by the President two days ago, official sources said. The date of their execution will be de c ided by the Sessions Court, Mysore, which first convicted them. It should take place within two weeks of receiving the official communication, a senior official said. The execution is likely to be staggered over four days. “They may not be executed simultaneously. The hanging may have to be paced out for logistical reasons,” said the officer. The Chief Superint e n d ent, Hindalga prison, Vee r bha d r aswamy on Wedne s day re p ortedly communicated the news of the ‘death warrant’ to the ‘condem ned’ convicts, who have been lod ged in the ‘dark cell’, with 58 other prisoners on death row. Convicts moved to separate barracks The four associates of Veerappan were moved to a separate barracks as soon as news came in that President Pranab Mukherjee had cleared their execution. Prison officials conducted several mock-hangings following the rejection of the clemency petition of prisoner Saibanna Nate kar last month, in adherence with jail rules that make it mandatory to keep the gallows ready for an execution. Rope, specially made for hanging has also been procured. Jail authorities are only waiting for the government's nod. Jail officers to hang 4 convicts The last execution was of murder convict Hanumant h appa Lakshmanappa Mallar, carried out by hang man S.R. Kamble on November 9, 1983 at Hind alga. He has since retired. The post of hangman was abolished across the country in the same year. All hangings since then – incl u ding Mumbai terror atta cker Ajmal Kasab – are entrusted to the senior jail officer. In Hindalga, he has already been taken throu gh the paces in several dry runs.