Let Him Languish In The Prison But Do Not Hang Him
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
21 January 2025
A sessions court in Kolkata convicted Sanjay Roy for a life in prison in the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The Judge said that it’s not a rarest of the rare case. One must say that the judge is a sagacious person. Awarding a death sentence, however heinous a crime may be, is as savage as the crime for which the person is being executed, for, if we believe that murder is wrong and not admissible in our society, then it has to be wrong for everyone, not just individuals but governments as well.
When a 'convict' is executed by any means, however 'humane' it may be, the question remains: Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfil that duty by lowering itself to the level of the murderer, and treating him as he treated others?
The forfeiture of life is too absolute, too irreversible, for one human being to inflict it on another, even when backed by legal process. Humans are inherently sadistic. Mind you, clamouring for death rap for the perpetrator/s doesn't always mean that people genuinely sympathise with the victim. In fact, they get a kick out of executing the person. It's a kink or a mild psychological disorder.
Even in a country like India, where a condemned man is not executed in public the way a majority of Muslim countries decapitate a criminal, many people look forward to the news of execution. The very anticipation of hanging gives them a thrill of vicarious voyeurism. The whole business of capital punishment is so damn dehumanising that it threatens to dehumanise even those who've no truck with it because the death penalty not only takes away the life of the person strapped to the table — it takes away a little bit of the humanity in each of us.
Moreover, capital punishment is irreversible; once executed, forever executed.
The case of Dhananjay Chatterjee, who was hanged on August 14, 2004 at Alipore Central Jail for raping and murdering an 18-yr-old school-girl Hetal Parekh in Calcutta in 1990, is being discussed and questioned because his execution was purely based on circumstantial evidence.
Jurists and top-notch lawyers are of the view that he could and should have got a life sentence! Where were they when the poor Dhananjay was hanged because India's then Attorney General, the late Milon Kumar Banerjee prevailed upon a reluctant and 'humane' President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam to reject Dhananjay's mercy petition? So sad.....Jangalon Mein Jo Musafir Sar Patak Ke Mar Gaya/ Ab Use Aawaaz Deta Kaarvaan Aaya Toh Kya?
Likewise, there could still be many turns and twists in the young doctor's rape and murder. It's, therefore, really a prudent decision to sentence Sanjay Roy to a life sentence in the truest sense of the term. Let him languish in the prison and repent over his misdeed. But do not hang him. Lifelong confinement is a much greater and harsher punishment than hanging that sets a man free forever.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/languish-prison-hang-dhananjay-chatterjee/d/134389
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