A convict yearns for freedom

[birkhalsa]

A convict yearns for freedom

Tribune News Service

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040304/.../punjab1.htm#11

Ludhiana, March 3

On February 26 at 9 pm, a 43-year-old Sikh of medium-build, stepped out of Delhi’s Tihar Jail having earned a 14-day reprieve after 17 years of imprisonment to see his ailing mother, afflicted with cancer.

He was Ranjit Singh Gill, sentenced to life imprisonment in the Lalit Maken assassination case. Son of Dr. Khem Singh Gill, former Vice-Chancellor, PAU, Ranjit spent almost 14 years in prison in the USA.

Recalling his stay in the American jail, Ranjit said: “After our arrest in New Jersey in 1987, we were shifted to downtown Manhattan and were lodged in the 13-storeyed Manhattan Correction Centre. The unit, Nine South, close to the WTC, is meant to lodge prisoners for short durations. But we were kept there for over 10 years and did not get to see the sky. It was a jail within a jail. The bare, white concrete walls, and 8x10 feet cells tend to suck hope out from an individual. Mental isolation, which we were subjected to, was worse than physical torture. We were deprived of natural light and the air, too, was re-circulated. As a result we had skin eruptions. However, I shared my joys and sorrows with Sukhwinder, who was also lodged there.” “At times I was shaky. But I followed a daily routine of prayer and maintained my fitness. I also secured a 16-week Personal Trainer diploma in New York during my imprisonment.”

The legal battle fought in American courts was perha

ps the longest running trial for extradition which attracted worldwide attention. The US government appointed a special prosecutor, Judy Russell, to pursue the extradition proceedings. “What was really shocking was that Russell went out of the way to portray us as bad characters. She claimed before the presiding judge that she had received death threats from us in case we were extradited to India.

Subsequently, during hearings we were taken to court in handcuffs and shackles. Sharpshooters were deployed on adjacent buildings and our convoy at times comprised 17 vehicles. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation later discovered that Russell was herself involved in the dirty trick and was found carrying self-addressed envelopes and letters containing threats to other judges. When she was arrested, she pleaded guilty. Her licence was revoked and she never came back to the bar.”

“However, by that time we had made up our mind to go back to India. We volunteered for extradition. All along I wished to come back to Punjab as a free man. Had we wanted, we could have sued for defamation. We could also have sought asylum. But my parents were getting old and I was running out of resources. I requested the judge of the Federal Court to reverse the order and allow my extradition.”

And then the day to go back home arrived. A CBI official took us into custody. We were treated well although the Indian officials expressed surprise over our decision to return. We landed at Mumbai’s Sahar International Airport. Then we got separated. While Sukhwinder was flown to Udaipur in handcuffs and was lodged in jail there until his acquittal last year, I was taken to Delhi for trial and was lodged in Tihar Jail.”

Ranjit Singh Gill’s case is a classic example of an impressionable mind going astray under unfortunate circumstances. “Violence can never be the means to achieve an end,” he says. Years of detention have mellowed him. “My aim is to become a better human being and I never give up on hope,” he concludes

while referring to Sandra Bullock’s struggle against odds in ‘Hope Floats’. He also appreciates the ruling of the Delhi High Court which says “A convict is not a criminal” and looks forward to leading a life of freedom and dignity.

[Sher Khalsa]

However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation later discovered that Russell was herself involved in the dirty trick and was found carrying self-addressed envelopes and letters containing threats to other judges. When she was arrested, she pleaded guilty.