Tihar gets ready to execute Nirbhaya case convicts

Seven years after execution of Afzal Guru, Tihar Jail on Thursday prepared ground to hang four men convicted in Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case after several dummy runs and officials brushing up on details specified in jail manual.

Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) are scheduled to be hanged on Friday at 5.30 am for sav gangrape and murder of a 23-year-old physiorapy intern on night of December 16, 2012.

This is first time that four men will be hanged toger in Tihar Jail, South Asia's largest prison complex that houses more than 16,000 inmates.

A senior prison official said Pawan Jallad, a hangman from Meerut, reported to Tihar Jail administration on Tuesday evening to prepare for exercise.

According to jail manual, jail superintendent will oversee testing of ropes and also inspect gallows a day before execution.

This will be followed by a dummy execution -- a dummy or a bag of sand weighing 1.5 times weight of prisoner will be hanged and dropped between 1.830 and 2.440 metres to test rope.

execution, specifies Delhi Prison Rules 2018, will take place in presence of superintendent, deputy superintendent, medical officer in charge, resident medical officer and district magistrate or additional district magistrate.

A guard of t less than 10 constables, warders and two head constables, head warders or an equal number from prison armed guard, will also be present, it states.

families of prisoner will t be allowed to witness executions. All or prisoners will be kept locked till exercise is over and bodies removed from prison.

manual specifies that a medical officer prepares a report four days ahead of date of execution, mentioning length of drop to be given to prisoner who is to be executed.

Two spare ropes for each prisoner sentenced to death are kept in reserve. After testing, rope and or equipment will be locked and sealed in a steel box and kept in charge of deputy superintendent, it states.

If prisoner wants, a priest of his faith may be allowed.

On morning of execution, prisoner will be visited by senior officials, including superintendent, district magistrate/additional district magistrate and medical officer, in his cell.

Any documents, including will of prisoner can be signed and attested in presence of superintendent and district magistrate or additional district magistrate.

Just before entering gallows-enclosure, a cotton cap with flap will be put on prisoner's face so he can't see gallows, according to jail rules.

wardens will hold prisoners and withdraw following a signal from superintendent. After that, hangman draws bolt, manual states.

body of executed prisoner is disposed of according to requirements of religion to which executed prisoner belonged. It will be handed over family following a post-mortem.

An ambulance shall be used for transportation of body to cremation or burial ground.

On March 5, a trial court here issued fresh warrants for March 20 at 5.30 am.

ir executions were deferred thrice earlier.

last hanging in Tihar was on February 9, 2013 when Afzal Guru, a resident of Sopore in rth Kashmir, was executed at 8 am and buried on prison premises for his role in terror attack on Parliament.