No communique on TADA convict Bhullar’s release yet

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 14

The Amritsar jail authorities have yet not received the official communication pertaining to release of TADA convict Prof Davinderpal Singh Bhullar.

Bhullar (53), whose death sentence in a 1993 Delhi bomb blast was commuted to life imprisonment in March 2014 was among eight Sikh prisoners undergoing sentences for crimes committed during the militancy period.

Bhullar was given special remission by the Central Government on humanitarian grounds on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Bhullar suffers from schizophrenia (depression) and has been undergoing treatment at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

Bhullar, a resident of Dialpura Bhai Ka in Bathinda, was convicted in 1993 Delhi bomb blast that killed nine people and left several injured, including the then Indian Youth Congress chief Maninderjit Singh Bitta.

He has spent over 23 years in jail and was discharged in 26-year-old Batala case, in which two alleged terrorists were shot by the Batala police. The incident had occurredin 1992, but Bhullar’s name was included in 1995.

Amritsar Jail Superintendent Arshdeep Singh Gill said, “To date, no official communication has been received about remitting Bhullar’s sentence. Technically, he is in the jail, but he is undergoing treatment.”

A team of psychiatrists headed by Dr PD Garg has been closely monitoring Bhullar’s health. “Bhullar has been under rehabilitation for the past four years and his mental health has improved a lot. He visits us on a weekly basis,” he said.