Patiala: Sikh prisoner walks free from Patiala jail

Patiala: Sikh prisoner Nand Singh (42) who had been granted remission by the Centre in view of 550th birth anniversary special celebrations of Sikh Guru Nanak Dev, walked free from the Patiala Central Jail late Thursday evening. However, Subheg Singh, who has also been granted freedom, could not be released from the jail as his family failed to file the release bonds.

Both Nand and Subheg had been convicted for the murder of one Bacchan Ram in Chandigarh in 1995 and awarded life imprisonments.

Nand was received by his family and friends outside the Patiala Central Jail in the evening.

Another Sikh prisoner, Lal Singh, who is lodged in Nabha maximum security jail, was also granted remission, but was not released from jail as he is still facing charges in two other cases.

Other than these Sikh prisoners, the Centre has commuted the death sentence of former chief minister Beant Singh’s assassin Balwant Singh Rajoana into life term. The matter is under consideration of the Chandigarh administration, which has sought legal opinion as to how to proceed in this regard.